That City Girl (New Version)
by Cozy Shadow
Summary: It started with a phone call and a trip to the airport to pick up an old friend. Amy Rose came into Shadow's house only welcomed by Sonic and Sonic's girlfriend. After eight years since the gang split up, Amy proves to have changed and is determined to show Shadow that she's not a typical city girl. But no one could've guessed that they might actually fall in love. [NEW VERSION]
1. Amy Rose Is Coming

**STH © SEGA**

 **Sarah © Cozy Shadow**

 _ **That City Girl**_ **© Cozy Shadow**

* * *

 **Chapter One:**

 **Amy Rose Is Coming**

"Dang…where is it?"

The blue blur reached around on the floor of the dusty, old tractor shed.

The combine wasn't working and the farm would need it to work for the grain next crop season. Sonic had sworn he had put the wrench above his head, but when he wheeled the cart out from under the combine, the wrench was nowhere to be found.

Sonic glanced around the huge shop and coughed, waving his arm around to get the dust away. The window was thankfully cracked open, but since it was early February, he couldn't prop open the garage door for more air or it would've been too cold.

And that wrench was still gone.

A cliché tune rang out and echoed through the shed. Sonic groaned at the bad timing and fished through the pocket of his jacket before his hands clasped around the smart phone. Taking it out hastily, the cobalt male put it to his ear while still looking around the shop for that one tool.

"Hello?"

" _Hello?"_

"This is Sonic," he replied to the female voice with hesitation. It definitely didn't sound like anyone he knew…and yet, sounded quite familiar.

" _I know who you are, Sonic."_ The tone was laced with amusement, but a shiver ran up Sonic's spine. It sort of reminded him of some horror movie.

"Who is this?" Sonic narrowed his eyebrows while glancing around the shop, looking for the wrench but also possibly looking for a creeper ready to strike.

" _Oh, come on, Sonic. Don't you have a clue who I am?"_

"…Nope."

A long sigh and an even longer minute later, Sonic was left with one deaf ear as the female screamed, " _SONIKKU!"_

Sonic held the phone away from his ear a little too late. He chuckled as relief spread through his body—it wasn't a creeper. At least, it would've been if Amy still had a fan girl crush on him, but that had stopped years and years ago.

"Ames!" He heard her laugh a little. "Why—I mean, I love that you're calling—but why?"

" _Well…I lost my job."_

"Shucks, that's too bad—"

" _A month ago. I've been trying to pay rent until I get another job, but no one was hiring. Now I lost my home, too."_

Sonic raised an eyebrow and looked at the ground. "So…?"

He heard her exhale noisily. " _I was thinking I could stay with you—or somewhere else since I know you have a girlfriend!"_ Amy spoke quickly at the last part, a little embarrassed everything was happening.

Sonic sighed and plucked at the cement ground. "Well—wait…how did you find out about my girlfriend?" he asked quizzically.

" _Sarah?"_ Amy asked nervously. " _Oh, right…well…You see, I called your house and this really grumpy voice answered and then someone—Sarah—took the phone away. Who else lives with you? I thought it was just her…"_

"Technically, before I met her it was Shadow and me."

" _Shadow?"_

"Yes."

" _Mr. Doom and Gloom?"_

"The one and only," Sonic sighed exasperatedly.

"… _The dark hedgehog?"_

"Yes, Amy."

"Okay…That's not weird. I mean, I never pictured you two _living_ together."

Sonic sat up and waved his hand. "It's not like _that._ I just…needed a place to stay."

" _Then the moment is perfect because I'm looking for a place, too!"_ Amy happily cheered while Sonic's light smile turned into a rather deep and concerned frown. " _You see, I'm at the airport and boarding a plane—it took long enough to find where you live! So I just figured—"_

"Whoa, whoa," Sonic held out his hand and shook his head though he knew Amy couldn't possibly see him. At least not yet. If what she said was true, and Sonic had no doubt it was, then Amy was one flight away from popping back up into their lives. "Amy…You can't just…It'd be rude. I mean, Shadow—he…he has to okay this. He pays the bills. He was mad enough when I moved in!" Sonic tried to reason. "I'm not sure this is a good idea if we don't run this through with him first—"

" _Oh, Shadow's fine! It's been so long, I'm sure he'll feel sympathetic when he hears about my situation!"_

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Ames, things don't work out the way you plan them too. You of all people should know that. You've got to think this through—"

" _Please, Sonic? Please?"_

Her voice. Ugh, her voice was so…desperate. Sonic frowned. He didn't want to be a heartless jerk, but he feared that Shadow wouldn't enjoy the news…

The hero swallowed and closed his eyes. "Sure…I'll send someone to pick you up."

" _Thanks so much, Sonic!"_

He hung up after getting the time of the flight arrival. Leaning his head back against the combine's tire, Sonic stared up at the ceiling. He exhaled heavily, inhaling more dust than air.

"…Well…It looks like Amy Rose is coming…Boy, I hope Shadow takes this one well."

* * *

The clang of keys going into a bowl signaled Shadow that his housemate was actually in the house.

Sonic appeared into the living room and saw the news flash on the TV screen before going to commercial. Looking over at the loveseat, he noticed Shadow and a bottle of water. "Hey."

The ebony hedgehog ignored him as usual. Sonic waved his hand in front of Shadow's face. "Hello?"

"What?" Shadow growled while smacking the hand away so he could see the screen.

"Guess who I got a phone call from?" Sonic casually asked while taking a spot on the three person couch nearby.

Shadow groaned inwardly. "Should I care?" he nearly whispered while trying to ignore the blue nuisance called Sonic.

"Shadow…" Sonic eyed him. "Did you ever think about getting a girlfriend?" he suddenly asked out of the blue.

Shadow glanced over at him with a wary expression. "…Where did the sudden interest come from?"

"Oh, nowhere," Sonic said as he leaned back and self-contentedly smirked at Shadow—an idea swirling in his brain. "But you see…there's this girl. And you gotta pick her up at the airport tonight," he pointed at Shadow.

"What?!" Shadow sat up and glared at Sonic, "Me? Why the hell do I have to go?"

"I've got a meeting," Sonic stood up and defended himself, making his way to the kitchen slowly. "It's two hours away; I'll be back before you know it…tomorrow."

"Why can't Sarah do it?" Shadow growled while leaning over the couch and burning holes into the back of Sonic's head. "If she's living here, _she_ should be the one picking up some girl that I don't even know," Shadow spat, lying back in the couch and choosing to try and tune out Sonic and his crazy words.

"Sarah needs her sleep because she gets to teach rowdy little preschoolers," Sonic noted. "And you _do_ know this female. _Quite_ well, might I add."

Shadow was clueless by now. He turned around and peeked over the top of the couch. "…Did I sleep with her?"

"We both know you don't sleep with _anyone_ ," Sonic contradicted. "She's…I guess you could say different."

"The only girls I've ever known are Rouge and Sarah…and I don't even know them that well."

Sonic shook his head and walked towards Shadow. "No…You knew more than that. Think deeper, Shadow. Before we all split up and lived different lives, there were a couple of other girls you knew."

" _Knew,_ you see. I don't know her now and I think I don't want to," Shadow stated while he gritted his teeth. His knuckles turned white as his claws sunk into the arm of the loveseat.

"Come on! You two would be cute together!" Sonic smiled at him.

Shadow stared at the blue male with a harsh gaze, "Guys never say cute, Sonic."

"I do."

"See," Shadow turned and stood up, pointing at Sonic. " _That_ is what having a girl does to you! It makes you think like them, makes you dress all nice, and it makes you get or buy things for them. It makes you _weak_."

Sonic shook his head with a knowing, thin smile. "Love doesn't make you weak, Shadow."

"And you're breaking our hearts. Now, shoo."

Sonic gritted his teeth. He knew this would be almost impossible to get Shadow to go pick up Amy at the airport tonight, but never say never. He took in a deep breath. "Well, then…Just remember, you need to get _our friend_ here to the house by midnight."

"Midnight?" Shadow looked at him as if he were strange.

"Think of it as a curfew," Sonic continued to say confidently. "Her plane comes in by ten. I'll be gone within the hour and Sarah's having some…girl's night out or something."

"So…I'm home alone…with this girl until tomorrow?" Shadow asked, knowing that Sonic wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning and Sarah would probably crash at her friend's if she drank anything (that and Sarah didn't drive in the dark).

"Is that enough time for you two?…" Sonic winked at him in a perverted manner.

Shadow snarled. "Faker…"

"Aw, I thought we passed that phase, bud!"

"We are not friends," Shadow continued to growl at him as Sonic walked towards the kitchen, yelling, "Yes, we are!"

Shadow leaned back in the couch and closed his eyes, trying to rest peacefully. If he had to stay awake for that long, he might need an early nap. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and widened.

"SONIC?!" he leaned against the couch and stared at the archway to the kitchen door where Sonic vanished. "What do you mean bring her to the house?!"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention this, but I thought it was super obvious," Sonic poked his head out of the doorway and complacently grinned at Shadow. The latter raised an eyebrow, but his eyes contained nothing but a warning towards Sonic—warning the blue blur that he had better choose his words _very_ carefully.

"She's going to be staying here!"

Shadow sunk back against the couch and exhaled heavily while closing his eyes to control his temper. His hands shook against the arm of the chair as he clung onto it. Claw marks from before were greeted with new claw marks. Black eyelids opened to reveal those red, wild eyes that showed that Shadow might possibly be insane.

Apparently, Sonic's words hadn't been careful enough.

* * *

Shadow grumbled to himself as he stood in the empty airport. It took basically an hour—fifty-eight minutes specifically—just to drive to the nearest town to buy groceries or…go to an airport and pick up someone he didn't even remember.

 _Hm…_ Shadow hummed in thought. _…So, I apparently know her? Well, I don't remember her obviously. Who is it?_

Curiosity picked away at his brain. The Ultimate Life Form stood by himself, puzzling over the thought of who he was picking up at the godforsaken hour. Sure, most people would stay up until one in the morning, but Shadow had spent so many years living a normal, quiet life as a _farmer_. During irrigation, his sleep pattern would be all over the place—Shadow the Hedgehog, in short, loved his sleep.

And this irritating female was ruining that sleep pattern and it wasn't even irrigation season!

 _This damn chick…I'm making her pay twice the rent that Sonic pays…_ Shadow paused as a couple walked past him. He took a seat at the waiting area and sighed, leaning back in the plastic, uncomfortable chair. A curious look went across his face then.

… _Do I really know her? I remember girls back then when we were still a team…But…Who were the girls? There was Rouge, but she moved away. There was…that little rabbit. What was her name? Vanilla—no, that was her mother. Tails mentioned her plenty of times—Cream. That was it…_

Shadow pursed his lips in concentration. It was fifteen until ten—fifteen minutes to sit there…or to run away.

 _No…It's not Cream._

He looked up at the board of flights minutes of silence later—and minutes of silence later, he had only two minutes left to either wait or run. And after ten minutes of watching two rowdy kids and a struggling mother…he nearly left.

"This better be worth it, Faker."

Oh, if Shadow had only known. Then, he probably would've left.

But his world was about to change as the announcer called for the landing of the flight the mystery girl was on. He stood and watched as many people he didn't know came down the escalators.

No one looked familiar to him yet.

The people walked past him and towards loved ones. There was surprisingly a lot, as he was suddenly crowded in the waiting room. He shrugged his way through, towards the escalators, and was immediately met with a pink figure.

He watched with curiosity and recognition as the female stared up at him.

Red eyes met green. The name clicked in his brain as he watched the emerald eyes that sparkled at him and the smile that nearly blinded him.

"Amy Rose."


	2. Pancakes?

**STH © SEGA**

 **Sarah © Cozy Shadow**

 _Fun fact: I live on a farm._

* * *

 **Chapter Two:**

 **Pancakes?**

Shadow opened the door with major difficulties.

Fate would have it that Amy fell asleep in the truck. Shadow had figured she would have more than just _one_ suitcase, so he brought the pickup truck instead of running (although he could've just used Chaos Control but for some reason unknown to anyone but him, he didn't). Unfortunately, he wasn't too happy to see that she really did only have _one_ suitcase. He could've been home via his super speed in a few seconds.

But nope.

He had to be a stereotypical male and think stereotypical thoughts about females carrying more than one suitcase and he had to bring the _pickup truck._ Not even Chaos Control.

The drive was pleasant, though.

He had assumed that she would want to chit chat after so many years, but thankfully, she fell right to sleep…unfortunately, she had used _his_ jacket as a pillow. Then again, he did allow her to pluck it off the seat and fold it into a pillow against the window.

So, after countless times of slamming the door to try and wake her, Shadow gave in and picked her up before carrying her into the house. When the female was asleep on the couch, Shadow stepped back and put his hands on his hips—pretty proud of himself.

He had only hit her head on something hard _once._

The soft didn't matter, right?

So, after getting her one suitcase (and purse), he walked back into the house in hopes of getting some much needed shuteye. Setting the suitcase next to the couch, he heard her groan and move around on the couch.

"Of course…" Shadow griped. "She wakes up _after_ I went through all that trouble."

Amy rubbed her head and glanced around, lifting herself up rather quickly. "Where am I?"

"Apparently, your new home…"

Rubbing her eyes, the rose hedgehog arched her back as she stretched. Shadow gulped as he leaned against the wall, staring at the way her body moved.

 _How long has it been? Last time I saw her…she was so…young. Now she's…attractive—No._

Shadow shook his head mentally as Amy pulled back from the stretch and moved forward. He had seen very few attractive female Mobians in his time on Earth or his short time on Mobius before the planet was destroyed by Eggman.

Every time he saw an attractive female, he definitely didn't feel like himself.

And Amy was _very_ attractive.

 _God, why didn't I see it before? Why now? Why now when she's practically showing me her chest every time she—_

Amy stretched back again and moaned, her front upper chest going outwards to the point that her shirt perfectly showed off her breasts. Shadow coughed and rolled his eyes to look away. He ignored the tugging feeling of being in a same room as someone that was eye-catching (a.k.a. Mister Horny). He figured any male would hurry to ask Amy out since she had grown from an annoying adolescent to a beautiful woman.

She stared over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow, staring at him tiredly. "Is there a problem, _Shadow_?"

He was certainly staring at her as if _she_ were the weird looking one. It made Amy want to smack him to kingdom come.

It wasn't his fault though. Being Mobian, he still had primal urges now and then. So it was _her_ fault—showing her body off and driving his hormones crazy for a split second.

The ebony hedgehog sneered and sauntered towards her. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe my problem is…you living here?" He glowered down at her in the dark room.

Turning around on the couch, she stood on her knees but only hit to about his chest. He still got the privilege of staring down at the inferior. "You have a problem with me?"

"Another mouth to feed. A higher power bill, most likely. And to top it all off, you don't have a job. So you'll probably sit around and do nothing all day."

Shadow tried his best to be nice to her, he really did. But she was so…aggravating. The whole situation made her irritating to look at (no matter how attractive she was). Not to mention, Shadow was still slightly upset that Sonic showed her the welcome mat without even talking to him about it first.

No. It was just, _"Hey, Shadow. You're a chauffeur now for another person who's going to live under your roof."_ Shadow mentally sneered at the thought being said in the Faker's annoying tone. _As if, Sonic. As if._

"I would not!" Amy protested. "I'll prove it!"

The room was suddenly filled with his unheard of laughter. Amy jumped a tad upon hearing his chuckle, a little shocked to hear him actually laugh, even if it was in mockery.

"You? Working? On the farm? That's a sight I would love to see," he advanced closer to her so the couch was literally the only thing separating them.

"Not specifically the farm, but sure…" Amy licked her lips nervously, "Fine. The farm it is. I'll work on the farm."

"Alright then…We start at five." Shadow merely looked at her with nothing but amusement. He knew she wouldn't last a day. With confidence, the ebony male walked through the living room and down the hallway.

"Five?" Amy whispered to herself before her eyes widened. "Wait, five in the morning?!"

Her only answer was the door slamming shut. Huddling close to the couch for warmth, the young flower contemplated on the whole idea.

 _Perhaps farm work won't be so bad. Yeah. It'll be a cinch!_

With that new optimism inside of her, Amy Rose shut her eyes. Though she was still dreading for morning to come.

* * *

Shadow woke up thanks to his alarm clock. The annoying beeping sound didn't last a millisecond. He got out of bed and changed into clothes after a quick shower.

Thanks to being on Earth, it was apparently odd to the humans that female Mobians wore clothing most of the time, but male Mobians didn't. Thus, they created this trend that sort of became some type of rule or law. Shadow wasn't sure. All he knew was that he got to wear infuriating clothes now.

It was a pain to slip a shirt over his quills. So, he stuck with the button-up shirts.

With a dark flannel shirt on and blue jeans for the farm, meaning worn out pants, he walked out of his room and down the hallway. His hope that Amy being there was just a dream was instantly crushed as he saw her cuddling up to the couch and shivering. Goose bumps were detected on her arms when standing only a couple feet away.

 _Damn…You forgot to give her a blanket…_

He frowned and headed to his room. Folding up a blanket he didn't use, he walked out of the room and back to where the sleeping female was. He threw it on her gently before heading towards the kitchen to start his daily, boring yet quiet, routine of making breakfast and starting the day.

Not a fan of coffee, yet he drank it anyway, Shadow made it while sipping a glass of orange juice. The pancake mix was already out, which made Shadow assume that Sarah came home tipsy and hungry so she decided to have pancakes for dinner/breakfast. He had no clue what time she got home, but he figured it was around one.

The door suddenly opened and Shadow froze and grabbed the nearest weapon (a wooden spatula). Whether it was Sonic or a robber, he was ready—for either the teasing or the beating.

"Shadow?"

His posture relaxed. "Faker…"

Sonic walked in through the arch doorway of the kitchen and glanced over his shoulder, obviously peering at Amy Rose. "I see you put her to bed…"

"Just barely got her the blanket actually," Shadow stated as he flipped a pancake.

Sonic made the 'okay' symbol with his index finger touching his thumb to make a circle while his three other fingers curled lightly upward. "Best move ever."

Shadow glanced behind him. "I'm not trying…"

"I'll make you."

"Why do you want me with someone so badly?" Shadow turned around and folded his arms. "Why now, all of a sudden?"

"First, is one for me?" Sonic asked, pointing to the pancakes. "And second, I think it'd be good for you…and her."

"Why?" Shadow eyed him warily.

"Because I'm hungry."

"Not the pancake thing!" Shadow growled lowly, "The girl thing! Why now? Why at all?"

"Oh, right, well…Ah, you both have a little thing to share, right? You being from the country and she likes the city—you could both show each other different but new things."

"First off, you cook your own damn pancakes," Shadow spat at the ever so generous hedgehog in front of him. "I barely felt nice enough to make one for her. And second, don't forget we once lived in the city before we all split up. I know what it's like."

Sonic scoffed and stepped closer. "First off, I can't cook worth a shit. Second, I do remember, but it's been so long since you've done anything city-like."

Shadow glared at him with such ferocity it would've scared anyone, but Sonic was too stubborn and had just as big of an ego as Shadow did. "First off, you can get Sarah to cook for you then. Second, I don't need to relive the city life, thank you very much."

Sonic took a moment to think. "Okay, first off, if I do, she'll yell at me and probably won't let me have sex with her for two months. Second, why the hell not? Third, you are very welcome."

"First off, that's a good thing for Amy and me. That means we'll be able to sleep without hearing you two. Second, it's a waste of my time. Three, that was sarcasm."

"First, we're not that loud. Second, I want my damn pancakes. Third, I don't need sarcasm right now. Fourth, fine, but you're going to regret it."

Looking at Sonic unimpressed, Shadow gritted his teeth. "First off, you two _are_ loud. Second, that's too bad. Third, sarcasm is the word of God. And fourth, I don't think I will."

Sonic glowered at the ebony hedgehog, but Shadow obviously wasn't backing down. "I want my damn pancakes…"

"Then cook yourself damn pancakes…"

"Why can't you cook them for me?"

Shadow's eyes narrowed as they stood a foot apart. "Because one, I don't like you. Two, I'm not your maid. Three, I couldn't care less if you starved. Four, Sarah is still capable of making you one. And five, I won't."

As five minutes passed and nothing in the room was heard but silence, Shadow smirked smugly. "Leaves you kind of speechless, doesn't it?"

Sonic fumed in front of him but coolly waved the situation off. "I'm gonna wake Amy up."

Shadow's expression instantly changed to a confused one. "Why?"

"Because it'll get you in trouble…"

"How?" Shadow snorted.

"If it's one thing I learned about having a girlfriend, it's that you never wake up a girl this early in the morning, especially unexpected." He glanced around the room for anything that would noisily wake the sleeping female.

Shadow rolled his eyes and leaned up against the wall. "Good luck with that. I slammed the door so many times to try and wake her up…The girl could sleep through a hurricane."

"Ah!" Sonic cheered silently as he found a stack of books in a corner near some DVD's. "Watch and learn, Shadow."

"It's not going to work…" Shadow shook his head slowly.

Sonic brought the stack of five books towards the coffee table near Amy's sleeping form. Instead of slamming them on the coffee table, Sonic raised them to his chest and dropped them to the floor.

"AHHHH!" Amy jerked awake, clutching the blanket to her chest and breathing heavily while frantically looking around with wide eyes.

Shadow observed as Sonic vanished in a flash before Amy could spot the real culprit. Shadow rolled his eyes, "So what, Sonic? It worked."

He was met with blazing, infuriated, green eyes of Amy Rose. Filled with anger, she screamed at him. "What the hell was that about?! You couldn't wake me up like a civilized person?!"

Shadow watched as she jumped over the couch and tackled him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hit his head on the wall. Groaning, Shadow let them slip to the floor. Amy squeaked while in his lap and clung onto the collar of his shirt.

They sat there quietly and awkwardly for a while before Shadow broke it. "Get off…" he growled.

"Sorry," Amy whispered and stood. She offered her hand but he swatted it away and hopped up, quickly vanishing into the kitchen. She followed but hung her head in embarrassment.

Shadow glanced back and had to do a double take before he sighed softly, his eyes gently warming up at the small, cowering figure behind him. He turned to the pancakes on the plates that were cold by now.

He at least remembered to actually cook the pancakes during his argument with Sonic.

"Breakfast?"

Amy walked over beside him, their arms brushing. He gazed down at her from the corner of his eye, seeing her hold herself with her arms tightly crossed at her chest. Her quills, which had grown immensely over the years, were blocking his view from her face and he was half tempted to reach out and move them to the side.

But he didn't.

Instead, the two continued the eventful morning by eating their cold pancakes and syrup in silence.


	3. Crazy For A Jacket

**STH © SEGA**

 **Sarah and Samwell © Cozy Shadow**

* * *

 _Newly edited version of TCG: Shadow is so much more in character this time around! :D I'm happy about that._

* * *

 **Chapter Three:**

 **Crazy for a Jacket**

The navy blue pickup truck was absolutely _freezing._

Generally meant for two people, the truck was used for the farm more than anything else. Shadow rarely took it to town anymore after having to fix it up when he got it four years ago. Unfortunately, four years was starting to catch up to the ancient piece of machinery. Shadow was reluctant to take it anywhere out of his property in case it completely broke down.

It was practically a piece of junk to Amy.

The heater failed to work within five minutes, but that didn't seem to affect the Ultimate Life Form. He drove in silence as they traveled out back and through the fields, towards the barn that wasn't even placed anywhere near the house.

That part perplexed Amy the most.

Constantly shivering, the pink female leaned against the cold window when suddenly; something was draped across her shoulders. The pickup truck bumped along the dirt rode in between fields. Amy's eyelids lifted open at the feeling of the object and she looked to her shoulder to see a jacket.

Amy glanced over at Shadow, noticing he only wore a shirt now. His brown jacket she had used as a pillow on the ride home from the airport was now around her for warmth. She smiled softly while burrowing into his jacket.

"Better?"

She was stunned that he would make such a gesture as giving her his jacket, but speaking was going further. Amy assumed it had to be because of Sonic living in the same house after all the years that had changed Shadow somewhat. That or Shadow had always been a gentleman and she had failed to realize it.

Of course, Amy hadn't spent much time with him in Mobius.

"A little…"

A minute passed, though it felt like an eternity for Amy. The ride lasted forever and all she saw was darkness and the bits of field the headlights showed.

"What are you doing?" his voice cut through the cold air. It was so chilly in the truck that they could see each other's breath.

Amy glanced over at him. "What?" It nearly came out as a whisper.

Shadow gave her a look, glancing up and down at her and his jacket. As his eyes went back to the road, Amy noticed she had been cuddling his jacket and enjoying the smell of it. The smell of hay and nature were new to her…but in a way, she liked it.

"…Smelling your jacket…" A blush was most prominent on her cheeks by now.

His eyes _had_ been on the road. Glimpsing at her, he raised an eyebrow slightly. _She's still that crazy girl that's for sure. If she's not crazy for Sonic, then she's at least infatuated with my jacket._

A thought occurred to him as he remembered who exactly Amy Rose was.

She was the girl who had constantly chased Sonic, night and day. She had searched for him endlessly and all for what? Shadow knew Sonic never returned her fangirl-ish feelings. Shadow couldn't quite remember what happened to them when Mobius was destroyed.

 _Did they have a falling out? Did they ever actually date?_

The questions gnawed at his brain. Mindlessly, he wondered if a love triangle would befall between Sonic, Sarah, and Amy. He couldn't have that happen. He needed Sonic and Sarah out of his house by getting married sooner or later—they'd been together for a solid three and half years. Shadow only needed to kick Amy out then. He couldn't just kick Sarah out if Sonic went with Amy because…Well…he knew Sarah.

Sure, they never really spent time with one another. But he still was pestered by her presence. And if he had to choose between Sarah and Amy to have live with him, Shadow was sure he would prefer Sarah. She ignored him, he ignored her. It was like having no housemate at all.

Still…Shadow didn't want any drama at his house. He wanted all three _out_. The sooner, the better. Therefore, questions had to be answered.

"Are you in love with Sonic?"

…

Amy wasn't quite expecting that. Sure, she suspected that sooner or later, Shadow would remember who she was and she was almost certain that she would be labeled as Sonic's crazed stalker. But that was years ago. She hadn't thought about Sonic romantically in nearly eight years. Plus, for the last two, Amy had known and fully accepted that Sonic had a girlfriend and was in a serious relationship.

"No."

"Good. Because I don't want to witness any drama in my house."

…Oh. Shadow was in for one hell of a ride.

* * *

Her boot crunched in the late winter snow. It traveled up to her ankles and sunk further with every step she took.

Amy looked up at the old, classic red barn and sighed heavily. "Here goes nothing…"

As if reading her hesitance, Shadow brushed shoulders with her and nudged her forward with said gesture. "Let's start with the heifers."

~.~

The bottle was sticky after the calf licked all over the teat, searching for more "milk." Amy grimaced at the powdered milk and water combination on her hands, not to mention the saliva from the calf.

Shadow was too busy with feeding horses to notice that Amy was having a crisis. She glanced around for a towel or a rag—anything to get the disgusting mixture off of her hands. The calf bumped its nose up against the bottle and the bottle holder in its calf pen. In result, the bottle lifted up and out of the bottle holder and landed on the ground.

Sniffing the bottle, the calf licked it a few more times.

"Oh, no…" Amy noticed a little too late. She glanced around, seeing Shadow nowhere in sight. The calf pen was to her thigh—she would definitely need some sort of boost. Grabbing a nearby stool, she grumbled to herself.

"He has a random stool but no rags…" She lifted one leg over the wooden calf pen and then the other. Landing on the ground, she picked up the bottle as the calf crowded her, licking her quills. "EW! EW! EW!" she flailed her arms backwards and sent the bottle flying out of the calf pen.

In turn, she flipped over the back of the calf pen—but her shirt got caught on the wooden nail of the ancient pen and snagged her there. So, there Amy Rose was. Vulnerable and upside down.

Her head nearly touched the ground, but she couldn't quite lift herself off the calf pen and she definitely couldn't unsnag her shirt from the nail. The stool was beside her. She could use that to her advantage. Grabbing it a little too late, she prepared herself to do an awkward pushup when a voice rang through the silence.

"What the hell are you doing?"

She blankly stared at his legs. This day was just getting better and better.

Shadow walked closer to her and tilted his head as he bent so he could look at her. "Is there a reason you're upside down and caught on the pen?"

Amy exhaled heavily and tried to point to the calf. "That _thing_ may be too cute for its own good, but it certainly isn't smart. It knocked the bottle out of the holder and into its pen!"

"I told you to watch out for that."

" _I told you to watch out for that_ ," Amy mocked in a high, nasally pitched voice. She rolled her eyes and lifted her arms towards him. "Help me up!"

Shadow glared. "You're definitely moody today."

"Shut up."

"Normally Sarah doesn't communicate when she's PMSing. I assume you're the same?"

" _WHAT_?!" Amy shrieked as she was still hanging upside down. "I am _not_ on my period, Shadow! Now help me!"

"So you're naturally this terrible to be around?" Shadow straightened up and frowned as he walked over to her, reaching underneath her back. "I'd hate to be around you when you really _are_ on your time of the month."

" _Shadow_ …" Amy ignored the blush on her cheeks. At least up until he wasn't reaching for her arms, but when his fingers were grazing her lower back, her flush cheeks reddened. "What are you doing?!"

"Finding the nail," Shadow murmured and turned his head to see where her shirt was caught. "Good news is, you're not the first to get caught on the nail."

"The bad news?" Amy breathed out heavily, puffing her bangs up exasperatedly.

"You're the first to land upside down. I'm still trying to figure out how you managed to do so." He grabbed her back once he unsnagged her shirt. Helping her upward, he noticed her wince. He snorted as he put his hands on his hips. "Chances are this won't be the only time you get yourself in serious trouble."

"Hey!" Amy turned around and glared at him. "You know, you're making this a real living hell, Shadow!"

"I told you—you won't last."

"I can too! But I can't if you keep tearing me down."

Shadow frowned. "It's not my fault if you're too sensitive for a good jab."

"A good jab?" Amy whispered menacingly, " _A_ _good_ _jab_?"

Shadow wasn't one hundred percent positive, but he had a good feeling that Amy was about to wallop him with her hammer—if she still had it. "Now, now. Calm down, Miss Hothead."

"I am not a hothead!"

Amy paused suddenly and looked down embarrassingly as Shadow gave her a blank stare. "Alright…I'm a bit of a hothead…But I wouldn't be if you weren't so rude…"

"I'm only doing it in hopes of discouraging you."

"What?" Amy asked and glanced up. "You'd be that rude? That greedy to have a house all to your own?"

"I'm not sorry I like my privacy—especially when someone waltzes in unannounced. I don't appreciate you being here, Miss Rose. If you do anything that I don't like, I will not hesitate to throw you out. Trust me…" Shadow growled with a threatening glare.

Amy stared at him, her ears flattened. "I'm sorry I'm invading your space, Shadow. But you guys are all I have at the moment. Friends are there to help each other when one falls down. I need my friends right now, Shadow."

"I'm not your friend," he hissed and turned his back on her.

"You were once. To me, at least."

Shadow stopped short and glanced over his shoulder at her. She continued to stare at him with her wide eyes. She sighed and climbed over the wooden pen, using the stool, and prevailing this time. She put her hands on her hips and picked up the bottle on the hay-covered ground.

Walking up to him, she brushed shoulders with him. "I'm new to this farming thing, Shadow. I know you may not like me, but I promise to do as you say. This is your home—your farm and your animals you have to take care of. I don't have any way to pay rent now but…this is the best I can do."

She offered him a small smile and a squeeze on his arm before she left to wash the bottle.

Shadow watched her go with a little guilt tugging at him. He shook it off quickly and cleared his throat, heading off towards the doors where he would wait for Amy.

~.~

The drive back to the house was shorter than the drive to the barn.

Shadow mulled over what she had said and a part of him wanted to say something, but he didn't. She sat in the passenger seat, curled up towards the window, with red cheeks from the cold.

"I have to go town."

Amy blinked, not expecting Shadow to say anything else to her for the remainder of the day—or her stay. "Wha? Oh…Okay."

"You're coming with me."

She raised her eyebrow. "Why exactly?"

Shadow bit his tongue. Why'd he say that? He had to think of something quick. Normally, Sonic went with him, or even Sarah on rare occasions. He was just naturally used to having someone sitting there in the passenger seat—whether talking their jaw off or staying quiet.

"School."

"What?" Amy scrunched up her nose. He was making absolutely no sense.

"Sarah works with preschoolers. This Friday she has this…Valentine's thing for the kids. The school does it every year. Anyway, she's stuck with having to make dessert of some sort and she stuck with brownies since that's all we have. But she said the next time I go into town, I have to buy some more boxes—she's serving parents, students, and teachers, I assume."

"Sheesh, how big is the school?"

"Not big. Have you seen this town?" Shadow scoffed. "It's tiny…but I'll admit, it's a good place to raise kids. Sort of."

"What do you mean?"

"Most of them don't graduate college. Instead, they work in mechanic shops in town, but mostly, they work on farms—rent some land from their parents or work for their parents altogether. Our education isn't the best at the school, apparently."

"And you'd know this how exactly?" Amy smirked lightly. "I don't recall seeing a mini-Shadow running around."

Shadow swallowed at the thought. Being twenty-eight physically had a toll on him. He still thought about family from time to time. It was a natural bond anyone would want at that age. Even Shadow, the most anti-social person in the universe thought of a family. Sure, it was once in a blue moon, but the idea still crossed his mind.

"Sarah, again. I may or may not listen to her and Sonic at dinner."

Amy smiled lightly. "Okay. So, we need brownie mix?"

"And I need more powdered milk for the calves," Shadow spoke, deciding to use simple words rather than the correct terms for Amy's sake. "We'll stop off at _Cal Stores._ And wherever you females shop for groceries."

Amy raised an eyebrow at him. "Like a…grocery store, Shadow?"

"Don't get smart with me, Rose," Shadow gave her a look as they bumped along home.

The rose female couldn't help but think she was getting somewhere with him, and she definitely didn't contain her cheesy grin.

* * *

The drive to town reminded her of the drive from the airport to Shadow's house last night. Then again, she slept through most of it.

Amy looked out the window this time, listening to the radio. But as soon as the truck stopped and the engine was cut, she twisted her head to look at Shadow and then at the store they were parked in front of.

 _Cal Stores_ stood there, looking rather inviting to a farmer or a rancher, but Amy didn't get the hype.

She dragged her feet towards the automatic doors, trailing behind Shadow. When she saw the clothes, she instantly lit up, "Ooo!"

"Amy, don't get distracted," Shadow grabbed a cart and walked down the main aisle, looking for the sub aisle of milk formula, though he knew where it was by heart. "We came here for one thing."

"I'll just have one look! I swear!" Amy wandered off through the racks of clothes. "I'm right next to the cashiers, so I'll see you."

"You better, or I'm leaving you here."

She rolled her eyes at the empty threat. Instead, she turned her attention to a white, fluffy shirt with lace. She immediately went onto another shirt upon seeing the price tag.

By the time she had circled five clothing racks, she felt another presence near her.

Turning around, she nearly collided into someone. Firm hands gripped her waist to stop her from moving. She looked up with a slightly parted mouth.

Blue eyes stared down at her with amusement. "Hello, there."

His voice was definitely that of a charmer. Amy blushed and stepped back, into the clothing rack. "Oh!" she turned around and held the clothing rack still before glancing at the male in embarrassment. "I get clumsy when I get nervous…"

"No need to be nervous," the male was a black bat, with a wide wingspan. He flapped his wings a little before folding them against his back. "I'm Samwell Turner. You are?"

"A-Amy Rose." The pink hedgehog mentally scolded herself for talking to a stranger. Then again, he was rather charming and handsome. It only seemed right that he had seen her and thought she was pretty.

"Let me take a moment to praise the two people who named you that."

Amy glanced down at the ground. She didn't have any memories of her parents, but it was a sweet thing to say to her and still had her knees buckling. Samwell didn't seem to notice the grief in her eyes for a split second, probably because Amy lightly smiled at him.

She was breathtakingly beautiful. And her name suited her—it was almost too good to be true. Samwell cleared his throat. "I don't take it you come here often, do you?"

"No…I just moved here."

"Figures," Samwell responded. "You have city slicker written all over you."

Amy narrowed her eyebrows together. "Well, you—"

A deep chuckle cut her off guard as he leaned in closer. "I like girls from the city. I might like country girls better…but you…" he looked her up and down before gazing into her eyes, "…you are the exception."

Amy opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't. It didn't go unnoticed to her that he had looked at her with lustful eyes.

 _Okay, Amy. He's either going to ask you out on a date and try to take advantage of you then, or he's just going to do it now._

Gritting her teeth together, the pink hedgehog glanced around for Shadow. But the ebony hedgehog was nowhere in sight.

 _Oh, Shadow, where are you?_ She wasn't sure what drove her to finding the stubborn male, but she knew that Shadow would protect her from this creep. Seeing his quills for a split second several feet away, Amy glanced back at Samwell.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Samwell—"

"Please, call me Sam."

"Sam. But I've gotta go," Amy started walking away. She thought she had succeeded in losing the bat, but then an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"No need to rush out of here," he spoke smoothly into her ear. She shivered a little—cursing her body for being not only attractive, but attracted to Samwell.

Amy swallowed nervously and grinned lightly. "Well, I must say that you're kind, but…"

He walked in front of her as she took a few steps backward until she hit something. A shelving display full of jars and jams. She was stuck between the creep and _jam_.

 _Oh, God…Please…_

Sam put his hands on the ends of the shelves to trap her further. His short spikes stood on the top of his head as he gazed down at her. "You are beautiful…" he whispered suddenly, "Quite beautiful." He didn't hesitate to run his hand over her cheek.

Being a hopeless romantic and being Mobian—Amy had that animal side of hers, and it was calling out on instinct. She was only twenty-two, but she hadn't been kissed for years. A part of her wanted that sort of attention, but she didn't want it from this bat.

Just the thought of being kissed and being loved sent her brain into slumber mode as her animal side kicked in. It was taking control, simply saying, "Look at this damn fine guy in front you! He's gorgeous and totally into you! That makes him mate potential!"

Amy bit her bottom lip as she watched Sam get closer to her. The bat inhaled and smirked as she leaned into his touch as he caressed her cheek.

She shivered again, in complete delight this time.

~.~

Shadow had been calmly soaking in the quiet, alone time as he walked down the aisles with his cart.

He had assumed Amy would probably get bored and look for him, but the more he came up empty handed as he neared the cash register, the more he got slightly concerned. Sonic would surely have his head if he didn't show up with the annoying pink female.

He could already imagine the conversation:

" _You just left her there?"_

" _She's in good hands—she lives in a store with plenty of clothes, food, and water. It's even got an inflatable mattress and bathroom."_

" _Shadow…"_

And then he would have to grab the keys and go and get the damn girl.

Oh, she was a pain in his quills.

Turning to the cash register, he ignored the cashier's friendly grin. It was a little mouse this time—probably a college student. She walked around and did her best in flipping the large calf formula bags to see the bar code, glaring at Shadow for not helping her along the way.

But Shadow was busy as something pink caught his eye.

Red eyes searched the area where he had thought he had seen her. And then, he turned a corner, a couple feet away from the cashier—who was trying to get his attention with her small, frail voice, but it was no use.

Slits for eyes now, Shadow glared at the male in front of Amy.

 _Samwell Turner…_

The guy was bad news. Shadow had gotten into a scuffle with him a while back with Sonic. And now there was he, flirting with Amy Rose. Shadow growled when he saw Amy shiver.

 _She's not thinking straight._

"Samwell," he spoke menacingly.

The bat turned suddenly and smirked. "Shadow."

Amy blinked before coming out of her delusional state. She saw Shadow and immediately went to walk over to him, but an arm caught her around the waist. "AH!"

Sam's arm around her was all it took for Shadow to punch him in the jaw. Unfortunately, Sam was quick and dodged the move, dragging Amy with him. The pink hedgehog squirmed. "Let me go!"

"Hey!" a worker yelled from the gun department several feet away. "Let the lady go!"

Sam sneered but pushed Amy away, into Shadow's hold. The bat's fur bristled as he watched Shadow scowl at him. Shadow picked Amy up and moved her behind him as he stepped forward. His fangs showed while he growled at the bat.

"Don't ever come near her again."

"My apologies, _Shadow_ ," Samwell snarled and fluttered his wings a little as he held his nose up high. "I didn't know you had a little _mate_. Your boyfriend not good enough for you?"

"His name is Sonic and he's _not_ my boyfriend," Shadow responded gruffly as he caught movement from the gun department. The worker was coming over. The mouse at the cash register was in shock as she stood there with wide eyes. "He's a housemate."

"Hmph," Sam sneered and backed away, glancing at Amy, who refused to meet eye contact with him. "You might want to watch your back, Shadow. She's a pretty little thing—any male might take a look at her one day and snatch her up," he threatened.

Shadow hissed ferociously.

The worker came between the two suddenly. He was a human and quite large looking—in muscular terms. He placed a hand towards each of the males, taking a glance at Amy. He sighed mentally. A fight like this only happened with Mobians—they seemed to be more animal than humans at times, fighting over each other. If only they could love just _one_ Mobian. It would make his job so much easier.

"Hey, lady," he called for the pink hedgehog.

Amy glanced up and looked at him. "Huh?"

"Who are you with?"

"Wha?" Amy shook a little. "None of them."

"Me," Shadow growled at her and then back at the worker. "She lives with me."

Samwell raised his eyebrow and smirked. "But she's not your girlfriend."

Shadow glowered at the black nuisance. He couldn't tell a lie, but he didn't want to tell the truth. Sam knew where Shadow lived. Now he'd have to worry about Amy's wellbeing even more so. Shadow didn't need to wake up in the middle of the night to see Sam over her and having his way with her.

Just the thought sent Shadow growling.

Blue eyes only held amusement towards the ebony hedgehog, lust towards Amy, and menace towards the stupid human that dared to stop him from getting his next victim.

"I want you both out of this store right now," the human spoke. "Solve your issues elsewhere. Not here."

Sam huffed and turned. He stopped short of the automatic door that had already swung open. He stared one last time at Shadow, who met the harsh gaze. Smirking in humor, Sam shook his head and walked out of the store for good.

Shadow's quills quivered as he watched the rival walk away. The human turned on Shadow suddenly as the mouse blinked with large eyes in the background. "Get your things and leave."

Swallowing, Shadow kept his opinions to himself and paid for the formula. The mouse was shaking by the time they left. Amy followed the ebony male with her head hung low. She searched the parking lot though, just in case Sam decided to pop up.

Shadow hefted the bags up into the back of the truck before opening the passenger side. He twisted around to glare at Amy. "What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Amy turned around. "I was making sure he was really gone."

"Hmph," Shadow looked away but held the door open for her. She walked slowly towards him, mostly out of uncertainty. "He's bad news, Amy. Stay away from him."

"How do you know him?" Amy asked.

Shadow tilted his head downwards to stare at her with a strict expression. "Just get in the truck."

Her ears flattened at his demanding tone. It didn't take her long to get into the truck. She flinched as Shadow slammed the door shut. He walked over and opened his door roughly before climbing in and shutting it with as much force as he had with Amy's door.

The pink hedgehog slunk down in her seat, gulping and staring out the window.


	4. Should've Been There

**STH © SEGA**

 **Sarah and Samwell © Cozy Shadow**

* * *

 _More drastic changes. But they're for the better and they ARE better! :D_

* * *

 **Chapter Four:**

 **Should've Been There**

Everything was silent in the truck as they headed home.

Shadow contemplated on answering her question or not. The thought of Samwell breaking and entering now, all for the lovely Amy Rose, brought Shadow on edge.

It didn't make what happened at the store any different. Or the grocery store after that. Amy had walked in, bought the brownie mix and some extra clothes after she promised to pay Shadow back, and then they had left.

The girl deserved to know, Shadow figured in the end of thinking about it all.

She'd been a part of the Sonic Heroes, even having her own team. But…what had gone down a while back with Scourge and Samwell didn't have anything to do with her. She hadn't been there.

Still…He knew in the back of his head that if he didn't just tell her now, she'd ask in the future or go to Sonic for answers. Sighing, Shadow gripped the wheel tighter.

"Samwell Turner is, in short, accomplices with Scourge."

His voice, again, surprised her.

Amy never knew when he would speak because he solemn ever did. It never ceased to amaze her that he was actually communicating with her. He was normally a lone-wolf of some sorts.

"Scourge?"

"He survived the Mobius destruction ten years ago…" Shadow mumbled. "The group split—what, eight years ago?" he glanced at her, and when she nodded, he continued. "So we've been here for ten years. I have no clue what he was doing then, but I have a hunch that he and Sonic got into a fight after we split."

"Why do you say that?"

Shadow glanced at her, "Because Scourge lives in the same town as us."

Amy widened her eyes. "W…What?" She wasn't too keen on staying with Shadow anymore.

"You know how there are three small…towns, villages, whatever you want to call them, that make up where we live, correct?"

"I may have noticed the signs."

"Alright," Shadow inhaled sharply. This would take longer to explain than he had anticipated. "We live in Sawyer—we're the only one of the small towns that doesn't have a local store. We used to, but not anymore. Then, if you travel east, there's Lenore—which makes up some farming, but mostly houses in that small couple of acres across the fire station, remember?"

Amy vaguely remembered seeing the main Lenore building and the road that turned with a house across from it—there were other houses in the back, but not many. They were sort of crowded together. Then on the right hand side of the main road was the occasional house or field, but there had been a fire station, gas station, and then the bank. Across the bank was the bar and café. Over the bridge of the irrigation canal that ran empty were trailer houses behind a closed café that was more or less a workshop now for the person who owned it.

Fields remained on the left side of the road and houses on the right with two large fields separating some of the housing. Then another sign, which Amy couldn't think of, had been seen.

"Elkridge. It's where Sarah works at. The school is in Elkridge, Sonic works at _Tractor Sales,_ which is in Elkridge. Lenore has a grocery store, but it's actually _in_ Elkridge rather than in Lenore. There was simply no room. They basically renovated the old grocery store and renamed it 'Lenore Market.' It's across from the fairgrounds."

"Right, I remember now," Amy nodded. "So…all the kids in the three towns go to Elkridge?"

"Even farther. There's a smaller, farming community out a ways called Gillet. Those kids have to come out here after fourth grade. Then there's one even farther towards the west, in the desert. Their small town has only a little school to fourth grade also. It's about a thirty minute to forty-five minute drive depending on the animal crossings and weather conditions."

"And Scourge lives somewhere near here?" Amy questioned. "And you think Sonic somehow attracted him to live here?"

"Yes." Shadow bit his bottom lip at all the sudden questions, but reminded himself that she was new and lived there for not even twenty-four hours yet. "Look, Tails found this place a long while back and moved here because it was a nice, quiet place and they were hiring for a crop-duster pilot. He took the job while working for the United States Army—designing machinery and whatnot. Sonic, of course, would stay in contact with him for as long as he could.

"Tails caught wind of me looking for a place and suggested a house out in the middle of nowhere in a farming community. I wasn't going back to the city anytime soon so I took up on the offer and I've been farming the land for four years. Sonic, at the time, was living in the motel in Lenore, right outside the housing departments where Scourge lives. Tails was off to D.C. for a meeting with some fancy government people—I was asked to watch his dog—and the motel shut down completely, kicking Sonic out."

Amy stared ahead at the road. "So…Scourge lives in Lenore. Tails works for the government. You've only lived here for four years. And Sonic was actually kicked out of a place?"

"Apparently, the owners felt bad for kicking Sonic out. But he came to my house instead since he knew Tails was out for the rest of the week. I only planned for him to stay one night, but the rest of the week wore on and Sonic decided he would rather work on the farm for me than work in Tails' dusty workshop. So, to pay for the food, Sonic got a job at _Tractor Sales._ It was the only place hiring. I decided to work there too just to pay the bills."

"Why don't you work there now, then?" Amy inquired. "If you quit, shouldn't you be in debt?"

Shadow shook his head. "I quit when Sarah moved in. At first, I thought she would keep her paycheck to herself. Sonic still paid for food while I paid for the electricity and water bill. I also have farm equipment to write off and the cattle to keep track of. I make some extra money helping out the Wilson's—a big, rich family in Sawyer."

"So…Sarah pitched in?"

"Surprisingly. When she moved in, I tried to kick her out," Shadow snorted at the memory. "Sonic promised to pay rent for her too. Turns out, she was the only one of us with any college education and an actual high paying job. Now, she helps pay for the food, her rent, and parts of the electricity bill since she uses the most electricity." Shadow waved everything off suddenly. "But that's not why I'm explaining all this."

"Scourge."

"Correct. Scourge lives in Lenore and I assume Sonic brought him here with some sort of argument. That and Scourge simply loves to make Sonic's life a living hell—more than I do. Somehow, someway, Scourge and Samwell met. Samwell had his own followers, and even though I don't know of any crimes he might've committed, all I know is that he's bad news."

"How so?" Amy whined. "Just get to the point. Even I know you don't like talking _this_ much."

Shadow raised an eyebrow at her. She had a point. He used his turn signal before using the deceleration lane to get out of the highway. As soon as he turned on the road that would lead them closer to home, he continued talking, "Look, there's no proof to this, but Scourge and Sam burnt down fields and fields of crops one summer. They burnt down barns and even an old house that had no one living in it."

"They didn't get caught?"

"No. But Sonic and I _know_ they did it. The police wouldn't listen to us. Even if we did save Earth from being destroyed like Mobius, the police still need evidence—not someone's word."

"So, how do you know it was Scourge and Sam that did it?" Amy crossed her right leg over her left and leaned closer to him.

"We had suspicions. Not only was it weird that fields were being burnt, everyone knew it was being done on purpose. Cattle was slaughtered, barns were ruined, and families were left to sell most of what they had because they couldn't make a living off of burnt land for a long while and there aren't good paying jobs out here.

"So, Sonic had Tails put up cameras in the barn. I offered to sleep in the barn, so Tails gave me this communicator that I wore around my neck. It looked like a dog tag and if anything bad happened, I could signal a warning at the house that beeped with a push of a button.

"I'm a light sleeper, so I easily heard the footsteps. I just didn't expect Scourge to be with anyone. I didn't know Samwell at the time and neither did Sonic. No one did. It still didn't stop me from fighting back though. I managed to knock Sam out quickly, but Scourge was yielding a metal hammer that had been propped up against one of the oil cans."

Amy winced. "What happened?"

"I barely took out Sam after engaging into a fight with them…and then I heard a crack and felt the pain. The metal hammer broke my fibula. Sonic was over in a matter of seconds, of course. I crumpled to the ground, dizzy and unable to stand, while Sonic fought Scourge."

"So…How could you two have not captured them?"

"Sam became conscious quickly after," Shadow continued. "Sarah arrived in the truck. We knew it would come down to getting me to the hospital, an hour away, or to stay and wait for the police." He shook his head softly. "I managed to hang onto Sarah long enough to make it to the truck. Sonic called the police and Sarah got me to the hospital while he held off Scourge and Sam."

"So how come Scourge and Sam didn't go to jail?"

"The police saw no evidence of them about to burn anything down. They were trespassing, yes, but that only got them in jail for a few months, mostly due to other crimes on their list. Scourge was bailed out instantly, as was Sam. They haven't returned since."

"And you?" Amy whispered. "What happened to you?"

Shadow shrugged and leaned against the wheel. "I obviously healed. The crutches weren't fun, but it wasn't like I was on my death bed."

"But you were hurt," Amy sadly spoke, "And no one told me. No one told anyone, did they?"

"I didn't think it was important," Shadow gruffly responded. "The past is the past, Amy. We separated—split ways—went on to live our own lives. I wasn't about to call up Rouge and tell her I'd broken my leg."

"But it was _Scourge_ who did it. Having him back in the picture makes this entirely different!" Amy argued and turned to face him. "You should've said something! I should've been there!"

Shadow watched with a raised eyebrow. "You are an odd female…You care too much about others."

"If it was a random stranger, I wouldn't care," she retorted and crossed her arms against her chest. "But you were my friend, Shadow. I still knew you."

"Not well enough to send a 'Get Well' card," Shadow sneered. "Don't worry, I got plenty of those," he sarcastically spoke as he continued to stare at the road ahead. "I'm not asking for sympathy, Amy. I'm not trying to make you feel guilty for not being there. Trust me when I say this," he glanced at her with a hard expression, "I didn't need you there. Not you. Not Sonic. Not even Rouge."

Amy slumped down in her seat. "We fought alongside each other, Shadow. Don't act like that doesn't affect our relationship."

" _We_ have no relationship," Shadow corrected. "I barely even remembered your name when I picked you up from the airport."

"Still, I should've been there—"

"Stop!" Shadow growled loudly at her, causing her to flinch and cower back. "You wanted to know about Scourge and Sam, well now you know. But there is _nothing_ you could've done at the time to make me feel better. You are not God. The world does not revolve around you." Shadow glared, not caring if those were tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "Most importantly, I do not need you to care for me like I'm some sort of sick child!"

Amy bit her lip and turned to look out the window. She closed her eyes tightly as awkward silence filled the air.

 _You will not cry, Amy. You will not cry._

At least not in front of him.

* * *

She reached for the brownie mix quietly as she sniffled.

They'd been home for about an hour, and the moment Shadow had left for the barn and Amy had gone inside, she had let the tears slide through. The car ride played over and over in her head and she just wanted to forget about it.

 _Why does he have to be so stubborn?_

Blurry vision didn't help with baking, she realized.

Wiping her eyes, Amy exhaled shakily before opening the box and staring at the directions of another box in front of her. Brownie mix in boxes littered the counter after her short trip to the grocery store. Her extra clothes were still in the bag until she could find the hamper or at least the washer and dryer.

 _I can't even wonder how Rouge put up with him after all these years._

Ironically, Amy actually talked to the bat on a monthly basis. She felt guilty not speaking to Cream, but she had lost touch with the now-sixteen-year-old. Amy only kept in touch with Rouge and Silver, meaning also Knuckles and Blaze.

Silver was the first she had kept in touch with.

Together, the two lived in New York after the team split up. They dated for a very short time until mutually breaking it off. Amy had agreed with him: they were better as best friends than lovers. Plus, when Blaze came into the picture, Amy got to squeal in delight when the two started dating.

 _Silver and Blaze…They are the perfect couple. Everything seems to be going just right for them. Sure, Silver travels a lot thanks to his job, but Blaze always sends me photos. They should be getting back from Europe soon._

And then there was Rouge.

Amy hadn't kept in touch with her, actually. Rouge had reached out to Amy.

It was rather odd to suddenly hear the ivory bat over the phone. She never imagined in a million years that Rouge would call her, but she did.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be tormented or to chat. Rouge had called her for help. She hadn't felt comfortable with talking to Vanilla. When Amy finally got the time to ask her why she needed help, the older female had completely broken down and started to cry.

Amy caught the next flight to Florida—where the bat was currently residing—after the phone call several years ago.

Rouge had been raped, which seemed odd to Amy. She never thought the female would allow for that thing to happen, but Rouge had put up a fight until she was forced to inhale a chemical that knocked her out. The Mobian responsible had been caught and executed for his many, similar crimes.

The only good thing to come out of it was Rouge's twins.

They were bats like her and had her eyes. But their black fur resembled that of their father—who had been a hedgehog with a darker set of blue eyes. Rouge recalled the male stalking her for several nights before finally jumping her. She hadn't suspected it to happen before it finally did.

" _I'd take it back if I could, Amy. But I wouldn't have Dex and Derrick."_

The five-year-old boys were her life, besides Knuckles. Rouge, of course, had kept in touch with the red echidna and had called him prior to calling Amy. The two met up with Rouge and helped her through the nine month wait. Amy had to _Skype_ them most of the time as her work at a magazine corporation made her stay in New York.

But Knuckles stayed by Rouge's side faithfully.

The two ended up dating five months in. When the twins were born, Knuckles agreed to staying home and watching them while Rouge continued with her work as a journalist. At first, the bat wasn't sure, but came to trust the knucklehead with the children that had easily became his.

 _I find it cute that Knuckles is a good father to them. They don't even question it._

Amy sniffled one last time as she mixed the brownie mix.

"What are you thinking about?"

The voice got her off guard. She twisted around quickly and stared with wide eyes at Sonic. "You scared me, Sonic…"

"My apologies," he put his hands up with a slight smile before frowning at her. "Your eyes are red…"

Amy glanced away and looked down, trying to forget the reason why she had been shedding those tears in the first place. Her cheeks were still tear-stained; she could feel the dried water on her muzzle. She wiped her cheek, getting mix on it in the process.

"Hey…" Sonic whispered softly, tilting her chin up and wiping away the mixture. "Have you been…crying?" he tilted his head—a careful, calculating look in his gaze.

"Just…Just a little," Amy tugged at her shirt sleeve while she hugged herself.

She didn't meet Sonic's eye contact anymore, but she felt the sudden anger in the room. The blue hedgehog's chest rumbled with a low growl. "What'd he do?" he whispered ominously.

"What?" Amy glanced up, noticing Sonic's harsh look but ignoring it altogether, "Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Amy," Sonic hissed as his eyebrows narrowed. "What the hell did Shadow do to you?"

"Nothing, Sonic," Amy reassured and turned back to the brownie mix. "I was just…thinking about something that was sad."

"Yeah, sure," Sonic responded as he walked around her. "How about I go ask Shadow?"

"It was just a stupid fight!" Amy turned around, smacking the wooden spoon against the counter. Her eyes teared up and she bit her lip while looking away. "It wasn't even a fight…Just…hurtful words."

"That son of a—"

"I'm being over-emotional," Amy quickly waved him off, twisting around to face him again. "Honestly, Sonic, don't think too much on it. You know how emotional I can get." She went back to the brownies that had yet to be made.

"Amy, that gives him no right to say anything bad about you."

"I'm not exactly on best terms with him right now, Sonic," the pink female answered, hurriedly mixing with the wooden spoon. "I came into his house uninvited, he obviously hates me, and—"

Amy stopped and threw the wooden spoon, making it hit the toaster. She held herself up against the counter with her hands as she sobbed. Her quills surrounded her and hid her from Sonic's view, but her cries still erupted through the room.

The door that connected to the garage opened and Shadow quietly walked through. He stopped upon hearing crying from a female. It didn't sound like Sarah. That could only mean…Oh, no…

He winced as he turned the corner and was met with Sonic's unforgiving glare. Amy's shaking form was up against the counter along with a mess of brownie mix in a bowl and a wooden spoon on top of the toaster.

Shadow took hesitant steps towards Sonic.

The blue hedgehog was quivering as he glowered at Shadow like never before. Truth be told, Shadow had never been intimidated by Sonic, but this time…He was sort of intimidated.

As soon as the ebony male made it around Sonic, he turned to Amy and sighed. Her ears twitched towards him and she froze. Walking towards her with heavy feet, Shadow touched her shoulder softly. "A—"

"No, forget it!" Amy threw up her arms dramatically and whipped around, smacking Shadow across the cheek, "You! You are rude and arrogant! Your words were totally uncalled for!"

His quills shook in annoyance, but mainly because the female had dared to slap him. Shadow gritted his teeth and snarled lowly, ignoring Sonic's in response. He easily gripped her wrist and leaned closer, "Don't _ever_ do that again. You are under my roof now. I don't care if you think I'm the rudest person on Earth, you _will_ listen to me and you _will_ follow my rules. That or you can pack whatever you have left of your first attempt to live and be on your merry way to have a go at round two."

Amy gasped while Sonic's growl deepened.

" _Shadow…"_ the blue male snapped. "Back off."

"You're not in charge here!" Shadow hissed at him.

Immediately, Sonic had him rammed up against the wall. Shadow snarled and clawed at Sonic's back. Sonic was quick to throw punches while Shadow tried to dodge. Amy whimpered and backed away, trying to get away from the fighting males.

Shadow watched as Sonic backed up.

He took the moment to ram into Sonic's stomach. The blue hedgehog took a hold of Shadow by his quills before swinging him around and roughly throwing him into Amy. He stopped, huffing in exhaustion as he watched.

Shadow smacked into Amy and groaned. Her arms kept him upright as she helped him stand.

"Are you two _crazy_?" Amy breathed out heavily as she stepped between the two. "This…" she shook her head before grimacing. "Forget it. I'm not going to live with Mr. Asshole of the Year. Tomorrow morning, I'm leaving."

"Wait, Amy," Sonic called for her but she left the kitchen too quickly. He turned to glare at Shadow, "You happy now?"

"Yes, actually."

Sonic gritted his teeth—trying to keep from snapping again. "Why don't you just give her shot, Shadow? You let me have a chance and even Sarah. What's so bad about Amy having a go at this type of life, huh?"

He couldn't answer that. He didn't know. Shadow frowned and backed away, snorting at the male. "She can do as she pleases. But if she lives under this roof, she listens to me. Understood?"

Not allowing Sonic to respond, Shadow walked out through the garage door. Sonic stared softly at the ground before heading toward the living room, where Amy was undoubtedly "packing."

"Ames?"

The pink hedgehog had her purse and one suitcase pushed to the rocking chair in the living room. She glared at nothing in particular and ignored Sonic.

Said hedgehog sighed and walked past her, towards him room. He wasn't going to make Amy stay if she wasn't comfortable with it. But still…

He stopped short at his door and glanced at her. "There's a way to break his shell, Ames. Trust me. You just have to find it. Give him a chance and he'll do the same for you."

Sonic left without another look.

Amy stared over her shoulder at the closed door before exhaling heavily and slumping down in the couch. Staring at the ceiling, she thought about the preheated oven.

 _I still have to cook those brownies…Damn it._

* * *

The house smelt of chocolate, which Sarah didn't mind, as she walked through the door and set her keys down in the bowl on the stand beside the couch.

She walked towards the kitchen and leaned against the wall, smirking at the pink hedgehog that looked rather tired. She was sitting at the counter with a cup at the end of her fingers.

"So…I take it you're Amy."

Amy glanced up in surprise and stared at a lime green hedgehog with wavy quills to her shoulders. "You must be Sarah…"

"Yeah," the brown-eyed female walked over to her and sat beside her. "I heard it might be your last day here."

Amy furrowed her eyebrows at the table, mentally cursing Sonic for saying anything. "Yeah…"

"And it hasn't even been twenty-four hours."

"So?"

"I must be mistaken," Sarah stood up suddenly with her hands on her hips. "But Sonic said you were…cheery. This doesn't look cheery."

"It's a little difficult to do when you live with an asshole," Amy snapped.

Sarah scowled. "Hey, don't take it out on me. Shadow's a jerk by heart. He doesn't communicate as well as the rest of us. He says things he shouldn't. He and I are both a little too honest for our own good. That's what made it easy to get along with him whenever Sonic was gone."

"How in the world can you live with him?!" Amy growled, gripping her quills. "He's—UGH!"

"Easy. I like my solitude and he likes his." Sarah sat down again and held Amy's wrist. She was met with green eyes. "Look. Either you leave him alone, like I did, and he won't mind you as much anymore, or you get under his skin like Sonic."

"I'm already getting under his skin…"

"No time to pout," Sarah scoffed. "I get by because I can take whatever Shadow says. Sonic gets by because he and Shadow have been rivals for years—they're always talking smack about each other. You have to find what makes you able to endure his behavior long enough without throwing a machete at his head if you want to live here."

Amy let out a light laugh. "How in the world am I supposed to do that?" She shrugged at the girl she barely knew. "You seem like a straight-forward person. Sonic's so used to Shadow and trash talking; the two go hand in hand."

Sarah crossed her legs. "I _am_ straight-forward. But I'm also more stubborn than Shadow. So is Sonic, though Shadow will never admit either of those things. A major thing to understand if you live here is that you've got to be more stubborn than him."

"I have to live under his rules, too," Amy mocked Shadow's words from before with an eye-roll.

"You do." Sarah ignored the slight upset Amy she got as a reaction. "It's his house, Amy. From the very beginning, it was his. It's only right to go by his rules. Besides, it goes by a lot smoother that way." She stood up and stared at the counter, where the brownies were.

She grinned softly. "Thank you for making these."

"Shadow's idea…" Amy grumbled, plucking away at the table for no reason.

Sarah glanced over at Amy and frowned. She offered the pink flower a reassuring smile. "Look, just ignore him for now. Do what he says, help him with the farm, but other than that—don't spend any more time than necessary with him. He'll get used to you eventually. I reckon it's the change in pace that's thrown him off. He gets moody when that happens." Sarah rolled her eyes and walked out of the kitchen without another word.

Amy watched her leave with the words playing through her mind. Maybe she did just need to give Shadow space and time to figure out that she was staying longer than he probably wanted.

Sarah, on the other hand, immediately frowned upon opening her bedroom door.

Sonic stood, tapping his foot with his arms folded across his chest. "You weren't supposed to tell her to stay away from him!"

"Eavesdropper," Sarah muttered as she walked to a drawer and grabbed sweats and a large t-shirt. "Look, I'm taking a shower. You can play love doctor by yourself. I personally don't see them together," Sarah stated.

"I'll make you eat those words!" Sonic playfully yelled. He couldn't help but grin after his girlfriend left to the bathroom just across the hall.

There was still a chance that Amy would be staying.


	5. Not So Bad

**STH © SEGA**

 **Sarah © Cozy Shadow**

 **Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _Look on my profile under UPLOAD SCHEDULE FOR THAT CITY GIRL (NEW VERSION). It explains and shows an updating schedule for the new version (this story you're reading right now) that will hopefully work. *crosses fingers* If it does work, I should be done with this new version of That City Girl in December and have it completely uploaded by Christmas Eve of 2015 or sooner._

 _When this story is completely finished, I plan to edit and change some scenes for Those Country Boys so it follows the new version of That City Girl. The old version of TCG might be deleted when this newer version is completed, but I haven't decided on anything yet. Just keep in mind that TCB will follow THIS version of TCG. Not the old version._

 _Thanks to those who reviewed: TheDivines, Admiralkirk, aliciathewolf45, xXDarkAngelKittenXx, and Kosma Bandra!_

 _Also, you might notice something with this story as we progress. No more Mike (he actually gets a small part as a waiter later). That means no more Alicia or Belle. They took too much away from the story the more I looked at it. They're gone for good unless I need them for short, unimportant-to-the-plot roles._

* * *

 **Chapter Five:**

 **Not So Bad**

He never understood how humans created coffee, much less managed to drink it.

Red eyes glared at the cup, wishing for some orange juice instead, but he knew the coffee would at least wake him up. And then he would crash sooner than later on the couch. Shadow frowned as he watched the cup sit there.

Silently, Shadow thought about what had happened the previous day.

In summary, his brain couldn't handle it. He was still trying to process that he had seen Samwell Turner, made Amy angry and possibly leave, and gotten into a fight with Sonic all on the same day. If this was how it was going to be with the pink hedgehog there, Shadow wasn't sure he wanted to remain anywhere near her.

And yet, she was so contagious in her beauty and personality that he found it hard to stay away.

The thought had occurred through his brain late last night when he was thinking about what he had done. It was probably one in the morning when he admitted that what he'd said was a little out of line.

Amy was only being…Amy.

Still, it irked him.

He wasn't sure why, but something about the female had caught his eye. Whether she was annoying to him or not, he wasn't sure just yet. But there was some type of feeling growing towards her, and he didn't dare call it…fondness.

Shuddering, Shadow grabbed the cup and scowled at nothing in particular.

No. He wouldn't get close to her—especially when he was so close for the first time in four years of having a house to himself once again. Amy would surely make it go topsy turvy continuously.

His thoughts were soon cleared when Sonic came into the kitchen, searching for a bowl in the cupboards. The blue hedgehog whipped out a bowl and glass, flashing to the fridge and cupboards with the cereal.

There was a tension between the two that Shadow had never felt.

It raised the hair on the back of his neck.

Shadow watched as Sonic made his breakfast slower than usual, knowing that the nuisance was really waiting for the perfect time to strike and make Shadow feel like a complete and utter asshole.

Just when Shadow thought he was in the clear, Sonic piped up, setting the milk down on the counter and digging into his cereal with his spoon.

"Have you talked to Amy?"

Shadow mentally groaned as he set the cup down on the counter. "I didn't know she was still here…" he chose his words carefully.

"Hmph," Sonic took a pause to chew and then swallow. "Well, maybe you should."

"I'm not going to date her, if that's what you're still trying to do," Shadow eyed him suspiciously.

"Not with that attitude."

The black hedgehog sighed. Leave it to Sonic to get through the tension with ease while leaving Shadow in a sticky situation of a topic he didn't want to talk about _ever_.

"Trust me, Shadow," Sonic continued to speaking much to Shadow's dismay. "I'm not saying you should date her. Just give her a chance at being an actual person while living here."

"My rules still stand."

"I know," the blue male scoffed. "She knows. We all know." He raised the spoon and pointed it at the bolshie hedgehog. "But if you ever make her, or any of my friends, cry again, I will kick your ass."

"Your loyalty is sometimes annoying."

"But it's the only reason you still have me," Sonic smiled cheekily. "And you wouldn't have me any other way."

Shadow grunted and turned away, only to see Amy walk in. He tried hard not to roll his eyes.

 _I just can't catch a break with these two._

The rose female stopped at the counter and sat down across from Sonic, with Shadow at the end of the table.

"Good morning…" she nearly whispered.

Sonic sighed and set the bowl down. "You're still here."

"Yes," Amy stated and then shrugged. "For now, I mean. I don't know."

"Amy, you don't—"

"I'll figure it out on my own, Sonic," Amy interrupted and looked up for the first time that morning. Her eyes were still red stained and it tugged a little at Shadow's heart, though he would never admit it.

There was a long silence after that. The only audible sound was Sonic's chewing and slurping. When he was finished, he put the bowl and spoon in the sink—gulping down his orange juice while ignoring the envious Shadow.

"Well," Sonic smacked his lips after a second. "Despite both of you now ignoring each other, guess who's coming over for a visit?"

Amy never thought she would live to see the day that Shadow widened his eyes so much.

And in fright to boot.

"You better not say who I think you're going to say…"

"They should be here soon," Sonic continued as if Shadow weren't having a mini panic attack. "I told her I had to work but she still decided to come up."

"Who?" Amy piped up excitedly.

Sonic grinned warmly at the pink hedgehog as he leaned up against the counter. "Sonia."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Amy clapped. "But how did she end up where you are?"

"After Mobius and after we all split, my mother thought it best that we all kept in touch—being family, ya know," Sonic shrugged. "Well, Sonia moved to town and went to college—where she met her husband. Manic moved to California two years ago, though, for his job as a magazine graphic designer."

"Sonia's married?" Amy questioned, tilting her ear toward him.

"Yep," Sonic seethed through his teeth, "Ex-womanizer. I told Sonia she shouldn't fall for his tricks but…I guess he was sincere."

"You guess?"

"Several years married and he hasn't given me a reason to dig his grave," Sonic playfully shrugged and then saw the ebony hedgehog frozen at his chair. "But, Shadow's not afraid of Sonia or her husband," Sonic teased, motioning to the male beside them.

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Shadow definitely didn't look good.

He seemed as if he wanted to Chaos Control to Mount Everest but was too sick to do so, the poor soul. His eyes became bloodshot and his knuckles turned white as they clutched the cup.

Sonic leaned towards Amy and whispered in her ear, "The kids."

"What?" Amy asked, turning to Sonic with a surprised look on her face.

Before she could say anything else, they heard the engine of a car. And then it turned off and doors slammed shut.

Sonic nudged Amy and motioned her to follow him to the front door.

The two left the male to wallow in his fear of nail polish and hair ties, which was set by the one lifeform on Earth that gave him more hell than Sonic the Hedgehog.

* * *

Green eyes stared adoringly at Amy, and it wasn't from Sonic.

Shadow watched curiously as Amy held up the one-year-old that gurgled at her with fascination. The ebony male huffed and raised an eyebrow at the tall Mobian on his couch. "What exactly brings you to my house every month?"

Sonia's husband was a bright orange hedgehog, standing taller than the heroes and sporting quills that were crazier than Manic's. "Date night."

"And Aleena couldn't—" Shadow stopped himself and glanced quickly towards Sonia and Sonic. They were both oblivious to the Ultimate Life Form. He turned back to Flame with a somewhat apologetic expression. "How is she?"

Flame shrugged. "Still in the hospital, last time we checked. It's not the end of the world for them, Shadow. She'll get better. The doctor's already said she'll make it through with flying colors."

"I know," Shadow droned and stared off at the siblings again. "But it's the only real sensitive part of Sonic I've ever seen. He hasn't visited her in a while."

"He's been busy," Flame whispered. When Shadow gave him a questioning look, the orange male sighed. "You'll know pretty soon if you don't already. But it's the reason he hasn't visited."

"A Valentine's Day party?" Sonic's voice boomed. "And you want to dump the kids with us for a couple of _days_?"

Just like that, Shadow was shot out of one conversation and into another. He put out his hands as if to say no hurriedly.

"Absolutely not!"

"It's just for four days!" Sonia pleaded. "Our friends are having a Valentine's Day party but they live a couple hours away. We're going to head up there today, get to the hotel by night, see some of Flame's relatives on Friday and then go to the party on Saturday. We'll be back Sunday—probably late. But we just figured, ya know—"

"Since you're driving through, you'd just drop off your children and expect us to care for them?" Shadow folded his arms stubbornly.

There was no way he was going to do that. There was absolutely no way he was going to try and survive four days with the little girl that dared to put hair clips in his quills.

Upon not seeing the certain hot pink hedgehog, Shadow froze. His eyes scanned the area but there was no sign of the five-year-old.

"Where's Petunia?"

It came out as a whisper, but Sonic still smirked upon seeing the slight fear and hesitation in Shadow's movements. If there was one being on Earth that annoyed Shadow more than Sonic, it was Petunia. But the toddler also had a knack for wiggling into Shadow's soft spot occasionally, though he would—again—probably never admit it.

At Shadow's odd tone, Amy raised her eyebrow and looked over at him. Flame was sitting on the couch, staring up at the ebony male with amusement, and the other adults had a similar expression. While the pink hedgehog vaguely remembered a child older than the one she was holding, she hadn't formally met her.

"Petunia?" Flame calmly called out. "Why don't you come out of hiding and not scare Shadow again, hm?"

Amy smiled lightly.

Someone named 'Petunia' that could scare Shadow and wasn't even half the size of him? Oh, it was too good to be true.

And just like that, a hot pink hedgehog flew out of her hiding spot and crushed Shadow's legs in record timing. "SHADOW!" Petunia, who shared her father's orange-ish red-ish eyes, smiled gleefully up at her "uncle" and squeezed onto his legs. "Guess what?! Momma says we're staying with you for a while! It's gonna be fun, fun, fun!"

Shadow groaned and slumped against the wall, lightly patting Petunia's head to get the little girl to ease off of him. The dark male glared at Sonia. "Fine…Four days, then they're kicked out."

" _Shadow,"_ Sonic warned with a hard look. "We all know you won't do such a thing."

"I mean it this time!" Shadow growled and moved Petunia aside, heading for the door. "They'll be mailed to Tails if Sonia and Flame aren't back in time!"

He barely got to grab the door knob and his coat when Petunia raced over to him. She scooted in between him and the door and stared expectantly at him.

"Let's go make a snowman!"

Amy had seen plenty of defeated men, especially when it involved their children. Never had she seen Shadow defeated though—and it was quite hysterical.

* * *

An hour had passed by the time Sonia and Flame had left, and Petunia proved to be difficult to entertain.

Amy blew out a breath, leaving her bangs to puff up for a second and then flutter back down against her forehead—where she felt sweat forming. "Maybe we can watch a movie instead, Petunia?"

"Play!" Petunia giggled as she raced around the table.

Her brother, Jeffery, was a magenta hedgehog like his mother—but he adorned an orange Mohawk. He remained on the floor, watching as Amy played tag with Petunia around the house.

"You sure?" Amy panted, holding her side. It'd been forever since she had run. In New York, she could get her exercise walking to work. But after she'd gotten fired, she'd only scoured the newspaper for jobs. "I'm sure Shadow has some kid movies lying around."

That was the only tip Sonic had given her before he left for work.

Anything animated would work on Petunia. She'd fall asleep halfway through the film, along with Jeffery. It was Sonic's key to babysitting most of the time—especially when he had housework to accomplish.

So, while Shadow was in the garage tinkering with the truck, Amy was left to make sure Jeffery didn't wander off and eat anything. She also had to keep Petunia under check, which was, again, proving to be difficult.

"Maybe a princess movie?" Amy suggested as she slowly rounded the table and as Petunia lapped her for the fifth time.

Petunia screeched to a halt and excitedly looked up at Amy, "What about the one with lions?!"

"Yeah, sure," Amy breathed out heavily as she collapsed to the floor. She pointed to the living room. "Go get it!"

With that, Petunia was off running again—though Amy was sure she'd be back soon because neither of them knew where the movie was.

~.~

When they finally did find the movie, Jeffery was whining for food.

With the things that Sonia left, Amy chose simple baby food. Plopping Jeffery into her lap, she fed him the food for a good while as Petunia watched the movie. When Amy was done, it didn't take long to notice that Petunia was nodding off.

Carefully placing the silverware from Jeffery's feeding on the stand with the phone and lamp, Amy glanced at Petunia and then Jeffery. He too was slowly shutting his eyes.

 _Maybe taking care of kids isn't so bad after all_.

Amy smiled proudly at her work.

She cradled Jeffery as he got comfortable and fell asleep. Petunia slumped up against Amy's side and started to drool, but Amy wasn't going to wake her up any time soon.

 _And it's not even halfway through the movie._

The pink hedgehog smirked in triumph.

 _Eat your heart out, Sonic._

* * *

He didn't mind the grease after a while.

It took only a day to get used to, and Shadow was somehow at home with the mechanical machines that he seemed to always be fixing.

But the truck was not cooperating.

The ebony male stood over the opened hood for a good five minutes, mulling over what might be wrong. Part of him told him that it was simply an old truck, and the other part of him told him that perhaps Sonic knew what the issue was.

Being obstinate, Shadow wasn't going to accept either of those thoughts.

 _Maybe some food will help._

At that rate, anything could've helped.

But his stomach growled for food and Shadow found himself walking to the garage/house door. He trudged up the steps with the thought of lunch on his mind and he opened the door to quite a sight.

Sitting on the floor of the laundry room, which connected to the kitchen, was a familiar one-year-old.

It wasn't so much that Jeffery was out and about (the kid was a born drifter), it was what he was doing. A pet bowl was in his grasp and dry pet food was in his tiny little fist. His cheek had remains of the previous pet food that he'd eaten, with the occasional string of slobber.

Shadow swallowed, not quite wanting that sandwich he had been thinking of earlier.

He reached down and grabbed the bowl from Jeffery. The toddler whined and lifted his hands up as Shadow inspected the bowl.

A rush of feet from the living room warned him of Amy's approach not a second later.

The rose hedgehog, with quills every which way, skidded to a halt on the tile floor. She first glanced down at Jeffery and then gaped at Shadow and the bowl. "I fell asleep for a few minutes, I swear."

Shadow ignored her. "This is not my bowl…" he whispered in deep thought.

"What?"

"We have dogs downstairs in the basement, but this isn't one of their bowls."

"Are you sure?" Amy fixed her sock and then picked up Jeffery.

Shadow gave her a blank look. "I've lived here for a couple of years—I think I would know what bowls my dogs ate out of, especially since I feed them."

"Sorry…" Amy's ears flapped back against her head. It didn't take another second before Amy was back to her original personality and interested in the bowl. "So…Any ideas?"

"It's smaller."

"A cat?"

Shadow shook his head, but he knew it was true. "I don't have a cat."

"Sonic?"

"He doesn't have a cat either."

"Sarah?"

Shadow paused. The thought made sense. Sarah didn't get along with the dogs, and Shadow vaguely remembered that Sarah simply liked the calm company of cats rather than the rambunctious company of dogs. "It would make sense. But for how long has it been here?"

"And is it still here?" Amy questioned. "You'd think you would have seen it by now. You know, since you've lived here for a couple of years and all." Her mockery earned a glare from him.

Shadow shook his head after a long moment and passed the bowl to Amy. He put his hands up in the air as if waving the situation off. Turning to the garage door, he said, "Never mind. We'll know when Sarah or Sonic gets home. I've had enough of newcomers in my house—I don't need to learn that we've had a cat for the last four years."

Amy watched with a slight smile of amusement as Shadow left. He was back in the garage and without lunch still.

She glanced down at the pet bowl as Jeffery reached in and grabbed some of the food. "Jeffery," she scolded and set the bowl down, taking the food in Jeffery's hand and placing it in the garbage. "Let's get you some better food."

He seemed happy about that decision as he chirped up and gurgled.

Amy giggled lightly. "Boy is Sarah going to get chewed out when she gets home."

* * *

"I'm home!"

Petunia and Jeffery wasted no time when it came to bombarding their uncle. Wrapping themselves around Sonic's legs, the two youngsters giggled in delight. Sonic smirked down at them warmly while Amy leaned up against the wall.

"How were they?"

"Besides Jeffery eating cat food, I'd say they were just fine."

Sonic glanced up at her as the toddlers got off of him so he could hang his coat up. "We have a cat?" He hung onto the hanger where his coat rested and raised an eyebrow.

"It's most definitely Sarah's. I just haven't _found_ it yet."

Sonic sauntered to the kitchen with Amy and the children in tow. "How was Shadow with that? Or does he not know yet?"

"He's actually the one that found the cat bowl after Jeffery did."

Sonic sighed and leaned against the counter. "Well, Sarah hasn't told me anything about it. Then again, she knows I don't like cats all too much and neither does Shadow."

"She'd keep a cat a secret for four years?"

"She didn't have one at her old place when we started dating," Sonic shook his head. "But maybe that's just because the cat likes solitude. Still…I don't think Sarah would do that. Especially for four years."

"It does seem like a long time," Amy agreed. "But it does flash by quickly. It still feels like we were fighting Eggman and saving the world yesterday."

Sonic lightly grinned but it vanished quickly as a certain emotion flashed through his eyes. "Yeah…Listen, Shadow needs you to drive some windrowers into the shed."

"Some what?"

"Swathers—they cut the crop." Sonic motioned with his hands. "I'll get some food for the kids and get them a bath. I've got some paperwork to do afterwards."

"He specifically asked for _my_ help?" Amy winced. She wasn't looking forward to being alone with Shadow any time soon. What happened that afternoon didn't count—Jeffery was with them. This time would be different.

It would be just them. Alone.

An argument with Shadow seemed almost unavoidable every time she thought of him or went near him. It made her shiver in fear to say the least. Plus, she wasn't happy being around the ebony male. He definitely wasn't the kind and thoughtful type.

Sonic sighed in sympathy. "Relax, Ames. You work for him now. It pays your rent. At least try and pitch in on the farm work. It's not all that bad."

As if walking to her execution, Amy slowly put on her boots that were actually Sarah's. She grabbed a coat, not paying attention to whose it was, and then walked out the front door—leaving Sonic to deal with the kids and her to deal with Shadow.

If she had a choice, she would've chosen the children.

~.~

The shed that kept the farm equipment dry and clean for the most part was also like a warehouse. Sonic called it a shed and Shadow called it a warehouse. Sarah could care less. Amy hadn't really noticed it until now, but it was rested right up along the garage.

While the house and garage were connected, there was a space large enough for a truck to pass through between the shed and the garage. Amy walked along the side of the garage and stopped by a four-wheeler, glancing down the road that led into the field and would ultimately lead to the barn.

"Amy."

The pink hedgehog turned and saw Shadow opening up the side door of the giant tractor shed. "The swathers are on the other side. We had to move some stuff around when we remodeled the inside. Come on."

Amy followed Shadow hesitantly through the tractor shed. For the most part it was dusty and caused her to cough. She was holding the jacket arm, which was too long for her, up to her mouth and nose while she looked at a giant machine Shadow called a combine.

Apparently it was super slow.

The rattling of a door caught her attention and then light cascaded in. Shadow opened one of the giant doors with the rope, much like a garage door only without the garage door opener.

He stepped outside and turned around to raise an eyebrow at her. "You okay?"

She nodded and gratefully stepped out, breathing in the fresh air as he directed her all the way to the other side of the shed. It occurred to Amy that the entire property was almost surrounded by fields and barbwire fencing.

Shadow stopped at the first swather and climbed up the small steps. He opened the door and twisted around, holding his hand out to her. "Come on."

Amy hurried up and ignored his hand, which he noticed, and got into the small space with him. Shadow sat down and stared at her.

They were very close.

She had to hunch over because it was meant for a person to _sit_ not stand. And the only chair was the driver's seat and currently occupied. No way was she going to sit in his lap either.

"All right. Pay attention. You're going to have to remember this for as long you live here, got it?"

She gritted her teeth and bit back the nasty comment she wanted to throw at him.

 _God, he's such a prick._

Amy mentally rolled her eyes and with all the force she could muster, she lightly smiled at him. This caught Shadow by surprise as he slowly reached for the key.

"Okay…Time for you to learn how to drive a swather."

~.~

"I am so, so, so sorry!"

Amy bit her nails as she watched Shadow circle the swather and inspect the dent she had given it not five minutes previous.

She was shaking in her boots at his eerie calmness.

"It's fine…I can just pop it back out with a hammer," Shadow droned.

Amy would've been a little bit happier but his tone told her not to get too excited about getting off the hook.

Looking at the ebony hedgehog now, Amy slumped her shoulders and let her arms dangle to her sides. The arms of the jacket hid her fingers, and her messy bun made her look tired. But it wasn't anything compared to Shadow.

He looked physically well, but for some reason—his tone. His tone made all the difference.

Amy swallowed as she took a step closer to him.

" _Look. Either you leave him alone, like I did, and he won't mind you as much anymore, or you get under his skin like Sonic."_

" _There's a way to break his shell, Ames. Trust me. You just have to find it. Give him a chance and he'll do the same for you."_

" _I reckon it's the change in pace that's thrown him off. He gets moody when that happens."_

And yet…Amy could see what Sarah and Sonic couldn't.

Shadow was exhausted.

Of course, she never thought about farming and its consequences. It seemed Shadow was still busy even when the fields were dead and covered with snow.

And suddenly she came stomping into his home without asking him.

Sudden guilt washed over Amy.

 _He must be so tired. And now he has to put up with my smart mouth and still feed me. While this pays for my rent…I should start really pitching in._

With that, Amy took another step. "I'll fix it."

Shadow stopped and raised a brow at her—looking at her up and down. Then he shrugged as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Fine. You've yielded that hammer of yours for so long, I don't see why a regular sized one makes a difference."

Amy smiled genuinely this time. She walked past him and towards a toolbox.

Shadow shook his head in confusion as he followed her movements with his watchful eyes. "Not _now_."

"What?" The rose hedgehog spun around. "But…we're done with the swathers…"

"And it's nearly six. Sarah's home by now. Not only can I finally eat because dinner is without a doubt on the table," Shadow sniffed the air like a hungry carnivore, "but I can also interrogate her about a certain cat."

"Why don't we hold off on that for now?" Amy anxiously walked towards him.

"Why?" Shadow was caught off guard. He didn't expect Amy to tell him not to do something. It almost made him growl at her.

"We've got the kids and we all know you're not the best at keeping interrogations calm and kind. Why don't we wait to ask her later? Or better yet, let me do it. I've been looking for the dang thing all afternoon," Amy pointed to herself and grinned cheerfully.

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Fine…But if I find so much as half a hairball in my house—"

"Got it!" Amy ran towards him and squeezed his arms before racing out of the shed. "Thanks, Shadow!"

The ebony male watched her leave with something akin to amusement in his eyes.

She was definitely a character. Amy Rose was indeed her own person and an intriguing one at that.

Shadow couldn't help but admit that maybe, just maybe he could live with her presence a little while longer.

 _Who knows? Another hand on the farm. She might not be that bad after all._

* * *

Friday the thirteenth was supposed to be unlucky for most people, but not for Amy Rose.

Overall, the day passed smoothly.

She colored with Petunia in the morning as Shadow vanished for most of the day and Sonic left for work. He promised to be back by five thirty so they could get to the Valentine's Day party at school in time. It became known to Amy that Shadow was being dragged along for the ride.

 _Maybe it'll be good for him. A nice night to relax._

Amy paused as she curled the end of her quills in the bathroom. Petunia and Jeffery were playing with some of the toys they had brought just outside in the hallway. Jeffery was leaned up against the doorway. As Amy looked down at him, she smiled softly.

 _Then again, Shadow will probably only pretend to be having a good time. That or he'll simply show that his problems are still on his mind. If only I could help him more._

She still needed to fix the dent in the swather, but she decided she would do that once the kids were gone. For now, she stuck to keeping the little ones entertained while also getting ready.

The time was already at four thirty and the kids had yet to be dressed. They were still in their pajamas but Amy was too—she hadn't found a reason to change and waste clothes when they weren't going anywhere.

Plus, pajamas were just comfier.

But, boy, was it a sight for Shadow when he walked in for lunch.

 _Flashback_

 _Amy stirred the bubbling water while Petunia danced around with the box of macaroni noodles._

" _Be careful with those, Petunia."_

" _I will!" She skipped around the table in the center of the small kitchen with the box as the garage door opened. Petunia whirled around to the laundry room and yelped as she almost ran into Shadow._

 _The ebony male raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her. He didn't think it was all too odd to see Petunia in her pajamas still and with crazy hair, but when he looked up…_

 _Shadow hadn't been expecting to see Amy without make-up, her quills messy, and in her pajamas. The pajamas that his money bought when they were town. He had to admit, the silk pajamas looked good on her, but the scene still caused him to be speechless._

" _Hey…" Amy uneasily grinned. "We were too lazy to change. Jeffery's taking a nap in the living room. I'm making mac and cheese, though. You want some?" she held up the wooden spoon and waited for his response._

 _Shadow only shook his head while trying to close his gaping mouth. Then, without any other exchanged words, the ebony hedgehog turned and left the house—going back into the garage._

 _Amy shrugged and went back to the stove as Petunia started to dance again._

 _End of Flashback_

The memory caused Amy to flush in embarrassment.

Shadow probably thought even less of her now, if possible. He most likely thought she was a freak and super weird and would never talk to her again and—

 _You're getting worked up over nothing, Amy._

The pink hedgehog consoled herself and flinched when the door opened and shut. Sonic wasn't supposed to be home by now and neither was Sarah.

So that left Shadow, but what did he want?

Amy listened to his footsteps. At first, they traveled to the kitchen and stopped when Jeffery gurgled and laughed loudly.

"Amy?"

 _So much for avoiding him._

Amy politely smiled and stuck her head out of the bathroom. "In here!"

His footsteps got slower as he came closer. Soon, Shadow was in view. He watched Jeffery and Petunia for a moment before glancing up at Amy.

She was too busy curling her quills to notice him looking.

The bolshie male put his hand up and leaned against the door frame with the tip of his quills barely showing in the mirror, but Amy still didn't notice. He had to admit, he almost liked it better when she was in her pajamas.

 _Now she has her make-up and hairdo and clothing—_

Shadow raised an eyebrow. No, she didn't. She was still in her silk pajamas.

"You do have a dress, don't you?"

Amy sighed as she set the curler down. "Sarah told me it was formal last night and I nearly panicked. The dress I have isn't exactly one for school…"

Suspicion rose in Shadow's mind. "It's…inappropriate?" he gritted his teeth at the thought of the lovely female wearing such a dress.

"Well, not really. I mean, it's short and doesn't have any straps, but Sarah said it would do. She told me that there'd been worse before."

Shadow vaguely remembered the tramps at any school party that dared to show their faces. It was a religious community with the occasional family who wasn't religious or wasn't the same type of religion as the majority of the town. Either way, those two groups were berated more than others.

While Shadow wasn't religious and neither were Sonic or Sarah, they were at least respected. He didn't want people to judge Amy though.

She was too good of a person to end up hated in this valley. And when a person was hated in their small, collected towns, it was like a living hell. Eventually the person would move. Shadow couldn't believe how rude some of the religious folk could be because someone was different than them. He chose never to get involved, but he still felt slight sympathy for the victims.

 _But I'll be damned if Amy becomes one of those victims. I might not like her being here, but she still helped save lives._

"Let me see it."

Amy's eyes widened. "W-What?" she blushed a little but Shadow's stern look told her that he was serious. "Why?"

"You'd be surprised how quickly some of the people in this community are to judge someone, especially an outcast like yourself."

Amy swallowed, sure that her red cheeks were just like tomatoes by now. Shadow was looking out for her? Sarah _was_ right. He definitely changed in moods.

"Umm…"

Shadow folded his arms. " _Now, Amy."_

"Yes, sir," Amy squeaked and hurried to the living room. He followed her to her suitcase—where she pulled out the dress and held it up against her body. "Is it…bad?" she winced.

Shadow had to pause.

The dress wasn't bad. But the silence made Amy think that.

No, the silence was for something entirely different as red eyes look her up and down. Shadow knew Amy was…attractive to say the least, but he could only imagine what she would look like with the dress really on.

The red fabric had always looked good on Amy—everyone told her that. The black ribbon around the dress and the almost ruffled look to the dress made it look pretty elegant, despite what Amy thought. The dress would probably reach mid-thigh to her.

"Shadow?"

He cleared his throat and hopped out of his reverie. "Yes?"

"The dress?" Amy waited timidly.

"It'll do," Shadow rubbed the back of his neck. "It's a little short for school parties though…"

Her ears flattened against her head as she looked down. "It's the only one I have. But I do have black stockings that I could wear. I tried it on last night and Sarah said it looked good. I was able to wear this and not show so much skin."

Shadow swallowed deeply and nodded, turning to the hallway. "Yes, well…I was just coming in to see what you were up to. I still needed to take a shower."

"Oh, sure!" Amy chirped in, motioning to the bathroom. "Just unplug the curler. I'll get dressed in Sonic and Sarah's room."

"No," Shadow raised his hand up to stop her. "That's quite all right. I have a bathroom in my room."

"Y-You do?" Amy narrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side a little. She thumbed the fabric of her dress.

" _Yes_." Obvious that he was annoyed with the pestering, Shadow walked down the hall—patting Petunia's head softly and ruffling Jeffery's washed and now flat hair.

The dark hedgehog turned once he got to the door of his bedroom. "I hope you know how to get Jeffery's Mohawk back. We all seem to fail. Flame is the only one that can do it."

"Wouldn't gel do it?" Amy shrugged at the obvious thought.

"You would think that." Shadow shared a blank expression before disappearing into his bedroom and shutting the door.

Amy hummed and bit her lip.

 _I wonder what his bedroom is like. I mean, I'm not jumping at the opportunity to see it, but I wonder how it is compared to Sonic and Sarah's. When Sonic is in there, the curtains are drawn back and the room is completely filled with light. When Sarah's in there, she keeps the curtains closed._

 _Shadow would most likely keep his room dark. But…Perhaps he likes it light. I mean, he does like the outdoors and he's always keeping the curtains drawn back out in the living room and kitchen._

 _It wouldn't surprise me either way…But still, I wonder._

Caught up on Shadow's room, Amy shook her head and stared down at Petunia. "We don't have any dresses for you, do we?"

"Uncle Sonic keeps some of our clothes in a drawer in his bedroom."

Amy nodded and set the dress down. "Well, then. Let's get you ready."

With that, she directed Petunia into the bathroom and set to work on her quills before Sonic could get home.

* * *

Little hearts made of paper were hung from the ceiling. Desks were pushed out of the way for more room for games. Lights were now pink and red instead of just white.

The atmosphere at Elkridge Elementary screamed love.

Not that Sarah had a problem with it; she simply felt the teacher's lounge should have at least been spared from decorations and foods.

Though the cupcakes were tempting…

Sarah, in her blue dress, slumped in her chair while watching teachers and parents file in and out of the teacher's lounge, dropping off food mostly. Sarah was supposed to stand guard and make sure no rowdy kids came in and stole the food—apparently it had happened before.

 _I doubt it…The secretary saw me busy setting up for my own classroom and decided to give me more work to do. And it's not even work work. It's just sit work._

 _I sit here, tempted to eat some sweets, and just as I'm about to grab one, someone will walk in and I'll have to act like I was looking at my nails, or tapping the table, or anything other than sneaking food into my mouth._

The lime green hedgehog grunted. Already, the principal had dropped by in her room and commented on how things were looking nice. She had to give her CD player to the seventh graders and prayed to God that it would come back in one piece.

"Uh oh…"

"She's got that pissed off look on her face. We should leave."

" _Shadow_. Please, I know my girlfriend. That's not a pissed off look. It's a concentrated look, and you're just trying to think of an excuse to go home."

Sarah glared at the table and then up at the trio in the doorway. Petunia hurried and climbed up on a chair, looking at the foods with hunger and greed while Jeffery had to stare from afar while attached to Amy's hip.

"Ooooo!"

The bored female stared at Petunia in warning. "Don't."

Petunia hummed sadly as her ears folded back. She slid off the chair while Sarah straightened up but didn't move from her spot.

"You're early."

Sonic shrugged and walked in after he noticed she wasn't going to move. He pecked her cheek and stood behind her chair. "Amy decided to get everyone ready a little too early. When I got home, they were all geared to go."

"Is that why you smell like oil?"

"I was working in the shop today," Sonic retorted. "And I didn't have time to shower because _someone_ was antsy to go."

Shadow rolled his eyes. "You could've taken a shower. The sooner this gets done, the better. The less I have to stay here, the better."

Sarah blankly stared at the ebony male. "And here I was thinking you came willingly this year."

"Only in your dreams, Sarah."

"Okay!" Amy clapped her hands with difficulty as she still held onto Jeffery. "This is going to be fun! What's happening again?"

"It gets over at eight," Sarah explained as she stood up and as Sonic picked Petunia up. "It's almost six now, which is when it starts, but people normally show up late. Basically, we get free dinner and let the kids play games."

"Well, then," Amy piped up, "Where to first?"

~.~

The dinner took place in the small gym of the elementary.

Shadow hated it.

Eight chairs to a table. The gym was filled to the brim. To make it worse, he was seated between Petunia and Amy. Beside Petunia were Sonic, Sarah, Jeffery, and then back around to Amy. The two remaining chairs were kicked out and given to another table.

The food was good though—that he'd admit.

"So, you do this for Christmas and Halloween, too?"

Sarah nodded at Amy's question, "Yup. Every year."

"And Sonic and Shadow still show up?" Amy asked in disbelief. "I mean Sonic coming I could understand. But Shadow?"

"I'm right here," the ebony male growled lowly as he turned his head to Amy.

Sonic stretched back and gave Shadow a threatening look, which Shadow ignored.

The female across from him shrugged. "I guess Sonic made him go. I don't really know why he shows up to these sorts of things."

"Well, I think it's sweet of him," Amy said as she started to stuff food in her mouth—as if she noticed that what she said was a little embarrassing to admit (especially since Shadow was so rude to her to begin with).

The three adults raised their heads and looked over at Amy as if she'd grown a horn and started calling herself a unicorn. Sonic leaned forward and glanced at Shadow before looking back at Amy.

"Why do you say that?"

"Yeah, why _do_ you say that?" Shadow propped his elbow up on the table and eyed her carefully.

She was awfully beautiful in that dress of hers. Part of him wanted to compliment her, and another part of him wanted her to still go away and find a new home. Still, why'd she say that? He never did anything sweet for anyone.

Why should coming to this stupid holiday dinner change anything?

"I don't know," Amy shrugged. "I guess it seems like he would still try to be antisocial. I'm just glad to see that after ten years, he's not completely terrible to be around."

Shadow frowned as he sweat-dropped. Sonic was obviously holding some chortles in as Sarah smirked expressively. The kids were completely oblivious.

"And to think I was about to compliment you on your dress and say that you might not be as bad of a housemate after all," Shadow stuck his nose up in the air.

Sonic glanced over at Sarah—both sharing knowing looks.

Amy, on the other hand, smiled while her cheeks lightly flushed. Whether it was from the makeup or naturally, Shadow didn't know. He simply kept his nose up and his head held high while he looked away.

The rose hedgehog leaned closer to him, "Really?"

 _Wait…_ Shadow mulled over what he just said. _I just said that out loud…Great. Now she'll never leave._

He sighed and turned to peek at her. Shrugging his shoulders, he went back to his plate of food. "It's nothing to get worked up about. I've seen plenty of better looking women."

"Hey!" Amy glared for only a second but waved off the situation. "No. I mean, you think I'm…tolerable?"

Red eyes curiously glanced in her direction.

A switch flipped in Shadow's mind.

Yes, Amy Rose was very tolerable.

Something tugged at the back of Shadow's head, telling him that her company wouldn't be so bad after all. He crossed his arms and continued to look at her as the soft light of the gym cascaded down on her, making her aura glow. She looked stunning and even got Shadow tongue tied for a moment or two (again, not like he would ever admit that).

He cleared his throat and stared at anything but the people at his table.

"For now."

Amy tilted her head, her ears perked towards the ebony male as she listened to him. A soft smile played at her lips.

 _I think I cracked his shell a little bit._

Either way, Amy had made her decision and intended to keep it.

While they got back to eating and joking while reminiscing about the fighting days and Mobius, Amy couldn't help but think she had gotten somewhere with Shadow. Even if it was a small moment shared between the two of them, the female still liked to think that the two could become friends in the future.

After all, Shadow didn't seem so bad.

 _So, it's settled._ Amy thought to herself as she listened and occasionally piped in.

Soft, emerald eyes watched as Sonic laughed at something he said while Sarah grinned in amusement. Even Shadow huffed, but if it was out of humor was unknown.

The three definitely had gotten used to each other. Tails, too, if what Shadow said about him living close by was still accurate. Amy couldn't help but wish that she could be a part of it though. They seemed so comfortable around each other—even Shadow, who had changed from an arrogant, cruel, rarely compassionate being to…well, whatever he was now. Amy still had yet to find out completely.

Still, it felt good to be around old and new friends. It felt good to be with _them_.

Call it lack of contact with civilization since she had lost her job, it didn't alter Amy's decision one bit.

 _I'm staying. For as long as Shadow will let me._


	6. Unpredictability

**STH © SEGA**

 **Sarah © Cozy Shadow**

 **Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _Okay, so it's been several years. Shadow and the other characters are going to have changed a bit. I mean c'mon, it's kind of common sensed—especially if Sonic could somehow influence Shadow in a good way. Everything will be explained so please be patient people._

 _Random chapter because I cut Mike out and that was the majority of this chapter in the old version, so I had to come up with something almost completely different. It's not too bad, I suppose._

* * *

 **Chapter Six:**

 **Unpredictability**

Amy normally enjoyed Valentine's Day alone. She'd go to the café, pick up a coffee, and read a romance novel in the park.

But it was different this time around.

She awoke to the sounds of Shadow cooking, Sonic teasing him, and Sarah taking a shower. Sitting up on the couch, Amy glanced around.

 _I wonder what they have planned today. The kids are probably still asleep._

Getting off the sofa, and taking the blanket with her, Amy sauntered to the kitchen. She was greeted with delicious smells and quiet arguing from the two males.

"Good morning, Ames," Sonic stopped his harsh whispering at Shadow the moment he saw the pink female wander in. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day to both of you," Amy yawned as she rubbed her eyes. "What's on the agenda today?"

"Well…" Sonic timidly laughed as he crept towards her. "I was hoping you and Shadow could babysit the kids for me."

"He's proposing to Sarah," Shadow droned from behind the blue blur.

Amy was wide awake then. She bit her lip to keep from squealing, but the smile was still plastered on her face. She did a little dance in the air after hugging Sonic. "This is incredible!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sonic anxiously looked at the doorway. "Just don't give it away. She might be able to hear."

"She's in the shower," Amy retorted and sat down. She placed her cheeks in the palms of her hands while setting her elbows on the table. "But I guess we can babysit for the babysitter."

"Thanks—"

"Absolutely not," Shadow grumbled. "I have work to do."

"Oh, come on!" Amy spun to stare at him with pleading eyes and clasped hands. "It's Valentine's Day, Shadow! Take a break, give Sonic a break, and for the love of God—quit burning the toast!" She marched forward and popped the toast up from the toaster.

Shadow glared at her. "You want to cook?"

"Please do," Sonic chortled as he sat down. "Just because Shadow cooks for us sometimes, doesn't mean he's any good."

"Faker…"

"What? It's true!"

Amy rolled her eyes and softly took the spatula from Shadow's iron grip. She pushed him lightly to the side before taking over at the stove.

Shadow, a little humiliated from both of them, plopped down at his regular seat at the head of the table. Sonic sat in his normal spot and watched Amy take over. "So, you'll watch them?"

"Of course, Sonic," Amy grinned back at the speed demon. "It's your day. Take your time and don't screw it up."

It was Shadow's turn to snicker now.

* * *

After pushing the two lovebirds out the door, Amy let the kids continue to sleep through the afternoon. Although, she knew that it only meant they would be up all night, she had some catching up to do with emails.

Hidden within her suitcase with the remaining clothes she hadn't sold was her laptop. Sliding it out, Amy opened the top and turned the computer on while working on untangling the charger and its cord. Looking for an outlet, Amy wondered what Shadow was up to.

Prior to the dinner at the elementary last night, they'd gone home quietly and ignored each other as if the kind conversation never happened.

 _Such a shame._ Amy thought with a frown as she finally found the outlet and plugged the untangled cord into it. _It was probably our first decent conversation in a while._

A few minutes later, the pink hedgehog was looking through old email from stores in New York. Sadly reminded of the place she once called home, Amy deleted them. Finally, she found the last email she had sent to Blaze. It was right before she was kicked out of her apartment.

While the cat had tried to convince Amy to come to Europe, Amy had already decided to get in touch with Sonic at the time. Plus, she didn't want Silver and Blaze to pay for everything. With the remaining money, she'd gotten a ticket and boarded a plane. Meanwhile, Blaze and Silver had resided in Europe.

The couple had been in Europe for several weeks so far for Silver's business.

Every time he tried to explain what he did, Amy got lost. It mostly had to deal with marketing and being a good suck up to other countries. It was obvious that the once naïve male was pretty good at both.

Amy wasted no time in composing a letter and sending it to the feline.

She talked mainly about how different the scenery was and how difficult a certain housemate was. As she looked over her letter, the rose flower was surprised to see how much she had written about Shadow. Sonic and Sarah were mentioned very few times compared to the stubborn male that paid the bills.

Sighing, Amy debated on pressing send or not.

What would Blaze think? The cat had always been calm and truthfully decisive. Still, it seemed Blaze had disagreed with Amy's idea to contact Sonic.

" _They have their own lives now, Amy. It would be rather rude."_

Still. Something told Amy to get in touch with Sonic. And she was rather glad she did.

Pressing send, Amy relaxed against the couch and watched the clock tick. It was barely noon.

Sonic had a whole day planned for Sarah and him. Amy hoped Sarah wouldn't catch on quickly or at all.

 _He said they'd probably be back late._

A wail from the bedroom made Amy get up from the couch and hurry away. Poor Jeffery cried and sucked his finger as Amy picked him up and walked around the room. Petunia was still out like a light.

 _Sonia and Flame should be back tomorrow sometime to pick them up._ She gazed down at Jeffery pitifully. _I wonder why he was crying…_

The baby had eaten and had fallen asleep while watching Sonic walk away. Perhaps it was waking up to an empty bed (besides being with Petunia) and no adult that scared him. Amy ambled out of the bedroom as she continued to hold Jeffery and pat his back soothingly.

"Shhh…You're okay."

Amy closed her eyes as Jeffery's wails became nearly silent whines. He pressed his face up against her shoulder, poking his eyes out to look over her as they filled with tears.

The house door opened and closed like clockwork.

She listened as Shadow took off his shoes and sighed while stretching. His footsteps immediately halted as they got close to the living room.

Amy had her back turned to him as she looked out the window, but his faint reflection showed.

"Is he alright?"

"Yes," Amy whispered. She turned and faced the ebony male, surprised to see him so close to her now. "I reckon he woke up to see no one but his sister and panicked."

The male stepped closer as Jeffery quieted. The baby closed his eyes and leaned into Amy's shoulder further. Amy tightened her grasp. "Did you come in for lunch?"

Shadow turned sharply and made his way to the kitchen as if to answer her. "I'm done with the truck and swather anyway."

"Swather?" Amy raised an eyebrow and hurried after him, minding Jeffery. "What was wrong with the—oh…you got the dent out, didn't you?"

"I had the time."

"I was going to once the kids were gone," Amy shook her head as if to scold Shadow. "You didn't have to—"

"Relax, Amy," Shadow scoffed as he looked through the fridge. "It wasn't that hard. One swing and the dent was out. Just remind me to not let you drive a swather for a while and we'll call it even."

"But why did you—"

The dark hedgehog stopped short and stared at her with an emotionless gaze that made her break mid-sentence. She shut her trap and clutched onto Jeffery, who whimpered in his sleep. Red eyes glimpsed at the toddler before looking back at Amy.

"You're watching the children for now, Amy. Don't worry about it."

For a moment, she watched as he went back to getting a sandwich made. Then, without a word, Amy vanished through the archway with Jeffery—back into the living room.

All the while, Shadow watched out of the corner of his eye.

* * *

The hours seemed to pass by after their afternoon encounter.

Amy and Petunia watched movies while Jeffery clung onto the former. He seemed to be homesick and missing his mother more than usual. Petunia, however, was fine.

Shadow had disappeared after eating his lunch, but Amy didn't quite care all too much about it. She knew he would be fine. And yet, she was still surprised when Shadow came in at five and sat down on the couch with them.

Though his head was leaned back and his eyes were closed, he had joined them technically.

Amy watched as an awkward silence (but the movie in the background) traveled through the air.

Petunia didn't seem to notice that he was in the room. She was settled in front of the TV with her blanket and a pillow from Sonic and Sarah's room. Amy wasn't even sure if she was awake anymore. Jeffery chewed on Amy's finger as he watched the television. And still, emerald eyes stared at Shadow curiously.

 _It's rather odd he just came in and sat down. Then again, it's his house and he can do as he pleases._

"Have you eaten dinner yet?"

His voice made her jump out of her thoughts and into reality. Amy blinked before she cleared her throat.

"No."

A sigh escaped from his lips. "What do you want?"

"It's okay," Amy responded. "I'll make dinner tonight."

It felt rather odd.

Even when she suddenly found herself in the kitchen, stirring as the noodles cooked and watching the tomato sauce near perfection, Amy couldn't shake the feeling off—the feeling that she was practically playing house with Shadow.

 _We have the house, the kids, and here I am—making dinner. It does feel like we're playing house._

She listened as Petunia awoke from her nap and decided to color. The soft voice that could've only been Shadow's created a warm feeling throughout the air.

Or perhaps it was the delicious aromas making Amy feel calm in such an environment.

 _Ease up on the imagination, Amy. You've only been here for four days. Don't get too comfortable. Who knows how long Shadow will allow you to even stay here? Any day he could just kick you out._

"Amy, Amy! Lookie!" Petunia raced into the kitchen with a paper in her hand.

The rose hedgehog grinned happily at the child and her picture. It appeared to be a red flower with a grassy background and classic sun-in-the-corner-of-the-page. "It looks beautiful, Petunia."

It took no time for the little girl to place it on the fridge, whamming a magnet over it to make sure it stayed. After all, the world needed to see such beauty and creativity.

"I'm going to go make another one!"

"Alright," Amy laughed lightheartedly as Petunia vanished.

The absence of another life form made Amy slip away into her thoughts as she mindlessly cooked dinner.

In this tranquility, Amy found the scene nearly perfect.

Until the phone rang.

Now, there were several phones around the house. One in the living room, one in the old, dusty, and unused computer room, one in each of the bedrooms, and one in the kitchen. The black phone rested near the sink and seemed to yank Amy out of her reverie.

 _Just when this place quiets down for one second..._

At first, she didn't know if she should answer it. She had, after all, just barely reminded herself she'd only been a member of the household for four days. Did that qualify her to answer the phone as a residence yet? Or should she let Shadow take it? After all, it most likely would be for Shadow.

She rolled her eyes at the thought.

Oh, if Shadow had any friends in the community, it would be hysterical. He seemed just as antisocial as the last time Amy saw him eight years ago. But at least he went out. Still, that didn't mean he was fond of making friends regularly. So the chances that someone was calling him seemed slim.

But how many people knew Amy was living with him?

 _Just saying that in a sentence makes it sound weird._ Amy scrunched up her nose at the thought and inwardly cringed. _Still…_

She peered at the ringing phone with wide, curious eyes.

"Amy! Get it!"

Shadow's growl was the last push she needed to quickly snatch up the object and click the needed button before saying, "Hello?"

Nervous and shy, Amy paid more attention to the food at that moment than she had all night.

" _Amy?"_

That voice. She knew that voice by heart. It was Rouge the Bat. Not quite in the flesh, but it was her voice nonetheless and it made Amy grin from ear to ear.

"Rouge! It's so great to hear from you! How are you?"

" _Good, good. Now shut up. Listen, a little birdie from France called me—saying something along the lines that his best friend was now living with my old partner in crime."_

Ouch.

Amy winced at the thought of not telling Rouge that she had moved and been kicked out. She knew that if she had told Rouge, the bat would've _made_ Amy move in with her. And Amy didn't want to be a burden on her and Knuckles—not to mention the rowdy twins. It seemed like Rouge had her plate full and adding Amy would've overfilled it.

 _Like having too much at the all-you-can-eat salad bar._

Sighing, the rose hedgehog clutched onto the wooden spoon. "I'm sorry, Rouge. I should've told you, but—"

" _How dare you! I'm honestly angry with you right now. You know, when I was going through my hard time, I didn't have to reach out to you. I could've just called Knuckles and let that be that. I could've let you live in New York and never actually know anything about your life. But because I thought you'd matured before the group split up, I knew you'd be the best help—"_

"Rouge," Amy droned. She tried listening to the lecture, she really did. The only problem was that it was the same old lecture Rouge gave her every time she got on Rouge's bad side. "Listen…I don't even know how long I'll be staying here, but it was sort of a spontaneous decision."

" _You didn't even tell me you were having money issues! Amy! Ugh…God dammit, I could've helped you. After five years, this is how you treat me? Like a used car? Like a dirty washcloth? Like a—like a—like a—"_

"I'm really sorry," Amy pleaded. "But I didn't want to be a burden on your life."

" _Oh, so is that what it's called? Not friends helping friends? So, when I was pregnant and called you for help, was I just a burden on your life?"_

"Of course not, Rouge."

" _So what the hell makes a difference here?"_

"You—" Amy paused to look at the doorway. She knew that only she and Knuckles knew of Rouge's rape. She could only imagine what Sonic and Shadow would think if they ever knew. "You have enough mouths to feed as it is," she whispered. "And I thought Sonic and Shadow were living alone so—"

" _They're not?"_

"Well, Sonic's got a girlfriend, Sarah Hutchington—who will hopefully be his future-wife if their date tonight goes well—and then we have Sonia's kids over here—"

" _Wait, wait. You…and Shadow…are babysitting? Together?"_

"I mean, I'm making dinner. He's watching them…hopefully," Amy said as she took glances to the doorway.

The last thing she needed right now was for Shadow to walk in. Oh, fate would be so cruel.

There was a long pause and Amy almost thought Rouge had hung up. It definitely wouldn't be the first time. She clutched the phone tighter. "Rouge?"

" _Amy…"_ The bat's voice sounded as if she were heartbroken. " _I never thought we'd be friends in a million years. But you helped me through my troubles. How do you think it makes me feel when I'm barely learning that I didn't help you through yours?"_

Amy watched the wall with an emotionless look. "I'm sorry, Rouge," she repeated but more monotone this time. "I truly am. But something told me to contact Sonic. It…It feels good to still be friends with most of the team again. Like something missing from my life is now complete."

" _Well, for your sake, I hope it stays that way. And I hope you're happy, Amy. For all that you've done for me. On a better note, how are things?"_

"Not such a better note," Amy laughed halfheartedly. "It kind of sucked to begin with."

" _Let me guess. One Mr. Shadow the Hedgehog didn't like the newcomer."_

"Bingo. He definitely likes his solitude, Rouge. And if things go smoothly for Sonic tonight, I might be stuck living with Shadow _alone_. It kind of scares me to say it."

" _He's not abusive, is he?"_

Amy mulled the thought over. "No. I mean, if anything got physical between us during these four days, it would be me slapping him. But other than that, it's mainly him trying to discourage me from the country life. I believe he doesn't think I can do it. That and I'll be a nuisance and another mouth to feed."

" _I'm sure he needs the company though,"_ Rouge assured. " _Trust me. There's a way to get through to him. You just have to find it. Some people do it by making him an enemy. Some do it by making him a friend."_

"And you?"

" _Well, I was his partner. I was practically his only friend that he trusted at some points in time. In the end, I see him as a brother more than just a coworker. I don't know what'll make the two of you tick but there's always something. After all, no one can say no to Amy Rose, can they?"_

Filled with sudden determination, Amy giggled. "That's right!" A sudden silence ran through them and Amy found herself saddened at the thought. "What if he doesn't give me the chance though, Rouge? I don't want to be his enemy."

" _Amy, there's not much you can do but try. Shadow never lets anyone in easily, but when he does…"_

"One of those overly loyal types?" Amy hummed in amusement, "That I can actually see happening."

" _Okay. Well, listen, I got to go. Knuckles is failing miserably at putting the kids to bed so I've got to go help him."_

"You aren't mad about the whole 'not telling you' thing?" Amy inquired with hope laced in her voice.

" _Oh, I'm still angry with you. But…Listen; try not to screw up again. And if you do then for God's sake just call me."_

The pink hedgehog smiled softly, "Will do."

Hanging up never felt so hard. It'd been forever since she had talked to Rouge—at least it felt like forever. It felt nice.

She didn't have to laugh at everything Sonic said. She didn't have to bite back her tongue at everything Shadow told her. She didn't have to listen to Sarah's sarcastic comments.

No. Amy could just be who she had grown up to be when she talked with Rouge. She didn't even have to convince Blaze or Silver that she was all right. For the first time in a long time, Amy could just be a normal person—herself.

And the sudden realization made her laugh as her eyes watered. The first tear slid down her cheek.

 _To think. Ten years ago, I never thought I would be here. But it's so…peaceful. Calming._

Another tear, but all in happiness, matched with another soft laugh.

 _It's been a long time since I've felt so lightheaded with happiness. I've spent so long worrying over bills and trying to get a job that I had no time to actually relax and enjoy myself. I never talked to Rouge and I hardly talked to Blaze or Silver unless it was serious talk._

 _But…strangely, it felt nice to speak to Rouge again. Even if I was getting yelled at._

By now, five more tears had slipped down her face and her eyes had become blurry. Her shoulders shook with each laugh and cry.

 _I finally have a moment to myself. And it's a good moment. A good, happy moment when I can just let all of my worries disappear and escape into a place with nothing but tranquility. Where I can actually say I enjoyed life instead of saying I'm trying to make it through the best I can. After so much judgement from people—my friends, my neighbors, my landlord._

 _It's all gone._

 _It's my moment. And I'm happy. Truly happy. For the first time in a long time._

"What are you doing?"

And just like that the moment was gone, as if the once bright room was sucked back into the dull colored reality.

Amy opened her eyes, wide and in shock, as she jumped almost too close to the stove. Twisting around, she hiccupped and wiped away a tear.

There he was, as destiny decided. Shadow would walk in on her while she was having her moment. But his look of concern made her laugh again. Another long, stray tear made its way down her cheek. And another.

"Oh, nothing," she laughed and tried to wipe the now embarrassing tears away as her cheeks flushed.

Petunia poked her head through the doorway and glanced cautiously up at Amy. "Are you okay, Amy?"

"I'm fine, sweetie. Go back to coloring."

Just like that, the child smiled and was gone. But Shadow was a little bit more curious as to why Amy was crying and yet laughing. As to why tears stained her face yet she continued to smile through. It almost made her glow in…happiness.

Shadow stopped a foot away from her. "Are you alright?" he nearly whispered.

Amy halted in her actions as another tear slid down her cheek. A thumb that wasn't hers caught it swiftly. Even as his thumb remained grazing her cheek, he didn't move. His red eyes—soft pools of vermillion—watched her with a calculating gaze. She was definitely an odd female.

But to Amy, he was the one being odd at the moment. She watched him stare at her with wide, tear-filled eyes as the light grin on her muzzle slowly disappeared as she realized what was happening.

 _Shadow…Why is he always unpredictable? He's not the antisocial, arrogant person I once knew. If anything, living with Sonic changed him and for the better._

 _I guess four years can do that to a person._

She continued to watch him with an unfaltering gaze.

The bolshie male didn't know what he was doing when he captured the stray tear with his thumb. He simply didn't like crying. And what made it worse was that he had seen the flower cry before—because of him—and had deep down felt some guilt, though as always, it would take a million years and another million before he would ever admit it.

Still, he didn't like tears. They weren't specifically a weakness. More like a dislike. And he wanted to know why on Earth this female was crying and yet laughing. It secretly made him wonder in astonishment at how unpredictable Amy really was.

"I'm fine," Amy nodded almost too quickly. He slowly took his hand away. "I'm just…happy." She grinned up at him with a grin he'd never seen before.

Something in Shadow's heart lifted at the sight of seeing Amy Rose actually truly content. It was something he had rarely seen. It was as if the old Amy Rose, minus the crazy fangirling, was back.

As if she had been forcing her smiles all along to make it by.

"Why?" He found it shocking to himself that his voice still came out warm and soft. He never whispered to anyone like this. Not even Petunia when she would have a meltdown. It was almost like a cautious whisper, but also one filled with knowing.

Amy shrugged. Her eyelashes fluttered as she gazed up at him, "Because after all this time of worrying about how I'm going to make it by in life, I finally have a moment to stop and smile. Even if my decisions now will cause me pain in the future, I still get to live without the weight of regret pulling me down. I still get to be happy in this one moment."

Shadow swallowed heavily as he listened to her words. Never had such a thought occurred to him.

She had been going through her own issues, had taken what little she had left, and had done a bold thing. This little hedgehog in front of him had boarded a plane, flown across the States, and had walked through that airport not sure if her plan would work. Because it all fell on Shadow. If he hadn't been there, she would've been without a second chance.

But he had been there.

And all the while, he had criticized her, discouraged her, and had been so undeniably rude to her without ever thinking about her. He had only been thinking about himself.

This brave female in front of him didn't know what her future held, but she was braver than him. He would confess that mentally but never outwardly to anyone—not even her. Shadow would never have come to people that he once knew and ask for aid. He was too stubborn.

 _I never stopped to think about_ her. _I only ever thought about my wishes. I was so close to having my solitude back that I never stopped to think._

 _Would giving up my wants for her needs be such a terrible idea?_

 _Would allowing her a chance to live here be so bad?_

Shadow stopped to think this through as Amy continued to wipe tears away. She wasn't laughing anymore and nor was she smiling. She was back to being normal but not _her._

He almost wished he hadn't walked in. Hadn't spoken. Hadn't broken her out of such bliss.

After all, Amy did have to deal with him being such an asshole this entire time. She deserved her moment—no matter how oddly timed and placed it was. But that was the thing about happiness, he guessed.

It came randomly.

"I'm sorry," he spoke after such a long pause.

Emerald eyes, still glossy from the tears, stared up at him with confusion. Amy turned completely towards him holding onto the spoon while subconsciously making sure the food didn't overcook.

"Why?"

"Because I've been nothing but a terrible host to you. And I apologize."

His arm outstretched as he held his hand out for her to shake.

 _What is he…_ Amy thought quietly to herself as she eyed the hand. _Is this compassion coming from him? Actual feelings directed to someone else instead of himself? How…unpredictable._

Amy raised an eyebrow at the hand and then at him before deciding that Shadow was serious. With slow movements, Amy brought her hand to his. She had to admit, they were warm and soft to the touch.

Gently, he squeezed once with a slight shake that anyone would've miss if they hadn't felt it.

Shadow released his hand from hers and backed away, still towering above her with his height though. Amy stood there, ears perked towards him, as she watched in amazement and gladness.

 _Maybe this means he'll give me a chance to prove myself._

She watched as the corner of his mouth lifted upwards a slight notch. It was a classic smirk from him.

"I forgive you."

And a classic smile from her.

* * *

The sun set and the moon rose, lighting up the night sky. While the curtains were closed, the television gave off most of the light in the dark living room. But another came from a laptop.

Even after dinner, Shadow couldn't help but glance at Amy to see how she was doing. He slightly wondered if she would go back to being a pain or if this new Amy was there to stay. He had to concede; he felt like he was in a better mood and wondered if it was the same for her.

Petunia and Jeffery were huddled up on either side of Amy, both asleep. Amy typed away on her laptop and Shadow was stuck with watching another animated film.

It'd been a long time since either had spoken to one another.

And for some reason, Shadow felt like now would be a good time to break that silence—no matter how good it was. It was to be another random act from the changed male that would surely surprise Amy Rose.

"Rose?"

Amy stopped typing as his voice broke through the barrier. She tilted her head and glanced at the outline of him. Depending on the scene in the movie and the brightness of said scene, she was able to see more or less of Shadow and vice versa.

"Yes?" She bit her lip at the nickname he had rarely called her. It proved to be something he and he alone had come up with. No one else had called her Rose. Ames or Amy was what she was used to. And yet, it sounded nice to hear something new.

"What are you doing?"

He honestly had no clue where the conversation was going, but he couldn't handle another minute of the kiddie movie and silence between him and her. He wasn't much of a talker, but something still told him to at that moment. Plus, he was curious as to what she could possibly be typing (what with her fingers flying and making rapid ticking sounds that made the movie even less tolerable).

"I'm talking to Silver."

The response stunned him to say the least.

 _Silver. Silver. I know him. I remember him._

"The naïve one?"

Amy giggled in the darkness. "He's not naïve anymore. He actually lost that habit when we moved to New York together."

"You lived together?" This was getting interesting. Also, it made Shadow not want to listen to the rest of the story.

"For a short time. Then Blaze moved in with us and they got together. I've been his best friend ever since."

"What about that rabbit?"

Amy licked her lips as she combed through Petunia's quills, "Cream? Oh, well…I lost touch with her. I don't know where she is."

"She's fairly close actually."

"What?" The rose hedgehog sat up straighter, "Where?"

"Tails would know her exact location. If I remember correctly, he speaks to her monthly over the phone. Though I think she's still a few states away, she's closer to us than New York."

"Oh…" Amy slunk back down. Cream was still so far away. Still, that didn't mean Amy couldn't contact her now. Boy, would she have to apologize for not keeping in touch. "Is she angry that I don't talk to her anymore?"

"I don't know. I don't talk to Tails about her. I only recall a conversation Tails had with Sonic a couple of summers ago."

"Well, that's good. At least she's still alive."

"True." Shadow huffed as he leaned his elbow up against the arm of the chair. He stared at the television before casually glancing at Amy, though she couldn't see it. "Why Silver's best friend? I would imagine you'd be closer to the feline."

"I am close to Blaze, but I just know more about Silver."

"Because you two lived together longer?" Shadow guessed and nodded. "I supposed that's reasonable. I mean, it makes sense—"

"That and we dated."


	7. Curiosity Killed the Cat

**STH © SEGA**

 **Sarah and Sam © Cozy Shadow**

 **Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _More on Silver and Amy next chapter. After you read this chapter, you might be wondering, so remember that. I repeat, more on Silver and Amy next chapter. Good? Good. And the animal instinct thing. Basically things are more explained next chapter because it's our first big Shadow and Amy chapter. Yay!_

* * *

 **Chapter Seven:**

 **Curiosity Killed the Cat**

Spreading the jam over the toast, Amy thought about what she was going to do that day.

"We need groceries."

Obviously, the thought didn't last long once a certain ebony male pitched in an idea that would eventually become a demand.

Shadow sat down at the head of the table and watched as Petunia smeared jam over her face and as Jeffery nibbled on his scrambled eggs. Amy, however, was looking at her food now with distaste.

"Hm…I suppose that means _I'll_ take the kids and you do nothing?"

"If by nothing you mean work, then yes."

Amy sighed as she slumped back in her chair.

Whatever good vibe that had been going through the air last night was completely diminished now. Amy still stared at Shadow like he would burst any moment in rage and send her packing. But she could never quite tell if he was angry or…not angry. She definitely wouldn't call it happy.

 _He's just unpredictable._ Amy poked her scrambled eggs with her fork. _Sonic might have made him open up more, but it's not by a lot. He might've helped Shadow stop being so damn cocky but he's still rude._

 _And yet, he has his good moments where he's actually a nice being. Not nice enough to call a friend but enough to last through one more day in this ever changing, bizarre household._

Speaking of the household, Amy wondered where Sarah and Sonic were.

It was Sunday and neither had work, but she didn't exactly recall them ever coming home. Still, the kids woke up and Sarah directed them to the kitchen that morning before going back to bed. Amy didn't even want to think about what they might be doing in there.

 _At least it means everything went well. And that would mean that Sonic and Sarah are engaged._ She took a moment to think about the thought. _A wedding. That would be nice. Better than shopping for sure._

"Fine. But if I lose one of them then it's on you and Sonia gets to murder you any way she'd like to."

There was a pause and Amy almost thought she had gotten out of grocery shopping. But she would be a fool to think that Shadow wouldn't be stubborn, even for something as stupid as this, and allow her to stay home another day.

"Fair enough. Be back by five."

* * *

Shopping would've been ten times easier if Shadow had specifically stated what he wanted.

Instead, Amy had a list of items to work with—a list written by Shadow. Amy learned two things upon looking at the list the moment she walked into the grocery store.

1) Shadow wrote in cursive. That meant with every item, Amy had to look at it and guess what it said. It wasn't that Shadow's handwriting was terrible, it was actually very neat. No, the problem was that Amy couldn't read cursive—good or bad. It all looked like loops to her.

2) Shadow either didn't have any preference to what she bought (for example, did he want cheddar cheese or Swiss cheese?) or he expected her to know already. Granted, Amy probably should've been paying attention to him when he made his sandwiches during lunch. Or she could've at least looked in the fridge before she left. But no, Amy was stuck with buying whatever _she_ liked. And what scared her most was that Shadow might not like what she liked.

 _He's a guy, he'll eat anything._ She reassured herself plenty of times while picking out the cheese, picking out the oatmeal, picking out the meat, etc.

The only thing she praised herself on was the milk. She knew what milk the entire house drank and was glad she remembered. Unfortunately, the store wasn't stocked up on 1% so she stuck with whole milk and prayed to God that they weren't secretly health nuts.

And so, with those two things learned, Amy continued on with her journey.

The first half hour of shopping was fairly decent. The kids stayed in the cart with Jeffery in the actual kid seat and Petunia with all the food. Amy got pretty far on the list she clutched in one hand with Shadow's money. She simply had to stay in budget with the wad of cash he had handed off rather reluctantly.

 _I'm just buying food, jeez. I'm not going to buy anything for me—oh, look! An apron!_

Amy stopped to look at the pretty design. _It's my size, it looks adorable, it's on sale, and Shadow would kill me if I bought it. Moving on._

The pink hedgehog had strong self-control. She only glanced back at the apron _twice_ before vanishing around the corner.

It was upon the whole aisle of cereals that things took a turn for the worse.

Jeffery slammed his bottle against the cart handle for the fiftieth time since they arrived. Amy puffed up her bangs in a sigh before grabbing the bottle roughly as he slammed it down once again.

Her sweet smile was anything but as she stared down at the boy. " _Jeffery_. Let's not, okay?"

The boy, whose hair was still flat as paper, glanced curiously up at Amy before gurgling nonsense. Amy took her hand off the bottle and eyed a worker that had spotted her.

He was human. Roughly twenty-five and smiling gently at her. "They're a handful, aren't they?"

Amy opened her mouth to speak but found she was beaten to it. Another voice—a familiar, annoying voice—broke the air and responded before she ever had the chance.

"Yes, they are."

She didn't have to turn around to know who that voice belonged to.

 _Samwell Turner._

* * *

When Sonic awoke, he was alone.

He didn't pay too much attention about it since the shower was running across the hall. Lazily getting out of bed, Sonic groaned.

Last night was a success. Though, he partially thought Sarah saw it coming a mile away, she never gave away anything.

 _I am engaged._

The realization hit him like a brick. But it was like a smiling, happy brick and he sort of just embraced it. After so long, Sonic the Hedgehog was more than ready to settle down and he chose the one person whose last name he could never remember.

 _Hutchson…Hutchingsonton. Hutchington. Sarah Hutchington. There we go._ Sonic smiled like a goofball as he grabbed clothes for the day. _Soon-to-be Sarah Hedgehog. Which will be so much easier to remember._

Yes, the blue blur had a great day yesterday and an even better morning.

 _Well, it's going to be better._ That he decided as he made his way to the bathroom and welcomed himself inside.

~.~

Shadow walked in through the garage/house door like usual and was greeted with a sight he almost didn't want to see.

Sonic was cooking with nothing on but a towel around his waist.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Cooking food for me and the future missus."

Red eyes became slits as Sonic simply continued to cook and ignore the situation that only Shadow was making seem awkward. "What the hell are you wearing?"

"The future missus' towel," Sonic sighed out as he didn't miss a beat.

Shadow grumbled under his breath to keep from shouting. Oh, this damn hedgehog. One day, he was going to smack Sonic into kingdom come and it still wouldn't be enough to satisfy him.

Green eyes glanced at him. "Where are Amy and the kids?"

"Getting groceries."

Sonic stopped short and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure she can handle both of them? I mean, they are pretty rambunctious."

Shadow shrugged lightly, though Sonic almost didn't see it, and sat down. Red eyes looked at anything but the male in the towel. "She'll probably be fine, Sonic. I highly doubt she'll get into any trouble."

"Shadow…" Sonic sighed and stared at him with slight distress. "It's not that Amy finds trouble. It's that normally trouble finds Amy."

The ebony Mobian snorted. "She'll be _fine_."

It almost sounded like Shadow was trying to convince himself more than Sonic, but the blue blur didn't see it. Shadow pondered about it while Sonic went back to the stove.

 _She'll be fine._

…

 _Still…Trouble does have a way of finding her. But honestly, what can happen? She's only going shopping for groceries._

"She'll be back by five before we know it," Shadow spoke up.

If it had been Amy, she would've been surprised that Shadow was still talking. But Sonic expected him to speak again. They knew each other that well. Sonic could read Shadow easily now and vice versa after four years. And Sonic knew when Shadow was growing concerned in certain situations.

He exhaled heavily. "Let's hope. Amy Rose doesn't give up so easily after all."

Shadow could agree with that. He was about to, too. Unfortunately, Sarah came in. It wouldn't have stopped Shadow from responding but it was what she was _wearing_.

Red eyes stared at the dark, oversized shirt and nothing else on the female. He turned and put his hand to his forehead, blocking his view. "Oh, good Lord."

" _Sarah."_

"Oops. Hey, Shadow."

* * *

Amy stared at the cereal and pretended to be listening to Samwell.

"Fancy running into you here, eh? No Shadow?"

"No." She gritted her teeth and stared at the cereal with a hard gaze. Petunia watched the scene unfold with timid, scared eyes. Jeffery had quieted down, as if sensing that this guy was getting on Amy's nerves.

Sam flapped his wings a bit as he sauntered closer to the young flower. "And with kids this time. I must say, you do surprise me."

"Hm."

He walked until he was completely in front of her and blocking her view from the cereal. His blue eyes cold and lustful still.

This time, though, Amy was actually thinking. It was probably having the kids with her, but her animal instincts turned to motherly instincts and she wanted nothing to do with Samwell Turner.

"If you'll excuse me, Mr. Turner."

Amy tried to get around him but he was of course there to block it off. "Whoa, no first name basis any longer? Ouch." He smirked as succeeded in blocking her way out off. "Perhaps I should call you Miss Rose then. Or just Rose?"

She faltered for a second.

 _No. You can't call me that._ Amy cleared her throat and shoved him aside, reaching for a random cereal box and throwing it in the cart. Her hands clasped the handle of the cart and she was off with the bat trailing her heels. _Never in a million years can you call me that, you pig._

"No, thank you."

"Aw, c'mon!" the bat skidded around to the front.

Amy looked down the aisle. Where the hell had the worker gone? He had just vanished upon seeing Samwell. _So much for any potential help._

"I didn't mean to scare you the other day," Sam confessed as he held the cart and ignored the children. "I was having an off day."

Amy groaned in frustration, finally letting it out. "Look, I'm not dumb, okay? Shadow told me everything about you."

"Oh?" His gaze became harsh. "And what was that?"

"You're accomplices with Scourge."

"More like Scourge is accomplices with _me_." The bat motioned to himself but grasped the cart again when Amy made a move to leave. "So, I guess you heard about the little accident that went on at Shadow's place?"

"You and Scourge were burning fields and barns down."

Sam snorted. "As if. Scourge merely wanted to teach Sonic a lesson—something about some fight or another way back when. I didn't care to listen. Anyway, all we did was go to the barn. We were going to release some animals but nothing too serious. Just enough to show Sonic that Scourge was still watching."

Amy watched him with a calculating gaze. "I don't believe you."

"But you believe Shadow?" Sam whispered as he leaned closer. "Really? He attacked first."

"You trespassed."

"That's true," Sam said as he backed away and stared at her. "But we weren't going to set anything on fire."

"I don't know what you two were planning on doing," Amy growled as she pushed the cart against him. "I don't believe you because Scourge never did anything small. He'd come in with a bang and go out with a bang. No matter what you two did, it doesn't change the fact that you did it and trespassed while doing so. So, leave me alone."

She rammed through with ease as the quiet bat turned to the side. Just as Amy was going by him however, his hand gripped her arm roughly and yanked her towards him. The pink hedgehog yelped as she slammed into his chest.

Cold eyes gazed down at her.

There were some people that got angry and shouted. And there were some like Sam that didn't shout. They spoke so quietly that it sent shivers of fear running down the spines of their victims.

"He knows you're here."

The whispered words caught her off guard. She imagined him taking advantage of her some way or another. But those words haunted her the moment she realized who he was speaking about.

"Why would Scourge care?"

"He's been looking for something to anger Sonic and Shadow a little more."

"What about—" she stopped herself from speaking. What if Scourge didn't know about Sarah? Amy didn't want to let it slip that Sonic had a girlfriend if Scourge and Sam didn't know. They'd surely come after both her and Sarah then.

But if they knew about her then surely they knew Sarah existed.

"His little girlfriend doesn't get out much," Sam snorted, as if reading her mind. He got closer to Amy, holding her to him as his face neared hers. "We can't ever pin her. She goes to work and then home. If she's anywhere else, Sonic's not far behind. We know that much."

"You stalk us?" Amy murmured in fright. She didn't dare speak because of how close they were. One move of her lips and she felt like she could feel his. But Amy didn't want to think about that.

Sam smirked with an evil glint in his eyes. "I call it taking interest from far away."

 _Great. I don't want to live here anymore._ Amy swallowed heavily as she struggled against his hold. He let her slip out of his grasp.

"What else do you know?" Amy dared to ask. A part of her told her not to. It was bad enough that she was actually speaking to this guy, but asking questions like a curious cat was even worse.

"Enough to take you and your friends down. Scourge has wanted this badly. And I must say, after you arrived, so have I."

"You won't get away with it."

"Go ahead." Sam took a step closer to her with a challenging grin. "Tell Sonic. Cower that pretty body back to Shadow and try to hide. We know exactly where you'll be."

Amy glared as sudden anger and determination ran through her veins. "I could just report you to the police."

"But you won't."

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as Sam continued to smile. He knew he was winning. He knew he was frightening Amy.

"You're too curious, Miss Rose." He twisted around and turned his back to her, walking away. "It'll get you into some serious trouble someday." Glancing over his shoulder, Sam flashed another grin her way. "And I'll be there to watch it happen. Count on it."

Amy glowered until he was completely gone. She reached for the handle and nearly missed as her fingers shook.

"Amy?"

"Yes, Petunia?" The young adult looked down at Petunia.

The child looked shaken up. Amy bit her bottom lip. She should've gotten rid of Sam sooner. The poor children looked scared out of their wits.

"Is that a bad man like on TV?"

The question shocked the pink female. She cleared her throat. "I…"

What was she supposed to say to the five-year-old? If she said yes then that would make Petunia worry. If she said no then perhaps it would make Petunia not worry. But if she did say no then Petunia would always ask why he acted like a bad man if he wasn't one.

"I…Don't worry about it, Petunia," Amy offered the girl a smile as she spoke. "Let's just go home, okay?"

"Okay, Amy."

* * *

Pulling into the driveway, Amy shut off Sarah's car and sat in the seat.

Petunia and Jeffery were asleep.

The image of Sam so close and intimidating her haunted Amy's mind. Every time she tried to think about something else, his face would pop up in her mind as if to remind her that he was probably watching her that very moment.

Sonic's truck was still in the driveway and the garage door was open. Inside rested Shadow's piece of junk that Amy despised. She looked at the porch and at the house windows.

 _Where is everyone?_

Sighing, the rose hedgehog got out and tended to the children. She unbuckled Petunia and Jeffery from their car seats. Petunia, tired and cranky, woke up and got out of the car as Amy picked up the sleeping Jeffery.

"Let's get inside," Amy murmured to Petunia, directing the child to the porch.

Petunia stumbled up to the door and opened it lazily. Amy smiled softly and walked into the house with the children, looking around.

No one was inside either.

"Hm…I wonder where everyone is."

Several minutes later, after helping the kids out of their shoes and coats, Amy put them on the couch to sleep. Jeffery had stayed out but Petunia was still somewhat awake.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to get the groceries."

Amy left the kids hesitantly. She convinced herself they'd be fine and nondestructive for a few minutes as she unloaded the groceries. It only took her two trips from the car to the kitchen before she got all of the bought items inside.

The kids were still out like lights. As she took everything out of the bags and put them away, she couldn't help but come back to one reoccurring thought.

Where the hell was everyone?

 _Maybe Shadow's working in the shed. Sonic could be too, but Sarah? I guess she'd probably work on the farm too since she's living here._

"Amy?"

The female voice sounded welcoming to Amy. She smiled and poked her head out of the kitchen as she watched Sarah arrive from the hallway. "Hey! Where were you?"

"Downstairs on the computer. I had last minute assignments to make for the preschoolers for tomorrow. Decided I'd finish them now. I didn't think you'd get home so early though."

"Wha?" Amy glanced at the clock. It was almost two-thirty. "I guess I'm a quick shopper."

Sarah shrugged as she leaned against the doorway. "Hey, listen." The female rubbed the back of her neck. "I was wondering if you'd be my Maid of Honor."

The pink hedgehog stopped abruptly. "I would love to, but…don't you have anyone else?" she questioned with furrowed eyebrows.

"I go to work and come home," Sarah stated. "I have some old college friends that I hang out with occasionally. That's who I was with when you arrived but I don't really want any of them to be my Maid of Honor or bridesmaids because…well, they suck at keeping organized and I'm sort of a control freak. They already understand."

"Oh, well in that case, I'd be happy to help in any way," Amy grinned.

 _Hm…She seems a little socially awkward like Shadow. At least she's not an asshole though. Hopefully._ Amy thought as she put away the milk. _I wonder how she and Sonic met though if all she really does is work and then go home._

"How'd you and Sonic meet?"

Sarah's ears perked in Amy's direction. "Uh, Hunter's Ed class down at the school. He stole my seat."

The pink hedgehog giggled. "The strangest ways, huh?"

"Yeah, sure." Sarah watched with a raised eyebrow. "So…You dated Silver the Hedgehog?"

The milk slipped from her fingers and crashed to the floor. She was honestly surprised it didn't explode. There was a small dent in the gallon container but nothing else seemed to be wrong with it.

Amy brushed the stray quill out of her face. "Who told you that?"

"Shadow brought it up this morning."

"You guys talked about me?" Amy inquired as she silently scolded herself. _Stop being curious, Amy. What if they said bad things?_

"Well, after we learned you and the kids were in town shopping, we somehow got on the topic of you dating Silver. How was that?"

"Honestly?" Amy cringed. "We were better as best friends. Both of us agreed that it wouldn't work out. Besides, Blaze and Silver got together not too long after and I'm glad they did. They just…mesh as a couple. Silver and I mesh as brother and sister better than lovers."

"Hm," Sarah nodded. "Cool because Shadow was ugh," she waved it off.

That caught Amy's attention.

She paused for a second. "Shadow was what?"

"Well, he just brought it up randomly. I mean, Shadow thinks about some things more than he thinks about other things. I guess this was one of them. He seemed a little...odd about the entire thing. He almost didn't believe you and Silver dated because he just simply couldn't see it happening."

Amy put her hands on her hips and glared. "Well, we did. It's not anything to really remember and celebrate about though. I mean, it's awkward when someone brings it up and Silver and I are in the same room. We just…sort of forget that we dated. It's not like it was super intimate anyway. The most we ever did was kiss and hold hands. After that, we decided to break up. Then he went with Blaze."

Sarah put her hands out. "I get it, I get it. Fine with me. I personally think they look better together anyway."

"Me too."

It was silent for a while. And then Sarah broke the silence again in her monotone voice. "Sonia and Flame will be here in about three hours. She texted me a little while ago."

"All right."

Amy stood at the table, organizing the food as she watched Sarah turn and leave the kitchen.

 _She might be socially awkward sometimes, but she certainly can break the silence easier than I can. She and Sonic are definitely different but they work. And hey, it looks like I'm the Maid of Honor._

Amy slightly smiled and went back to putting groceries away. She was about to set the eggs in the fridge when a thought crossed her mind and she halted in her actions.

 _What the hell does a Maid of Honor do?_

* * *

"It was fun, Sonia. Really."

"…You didn't even watch them most of the time, did you?"

Sonic sighed as his sister eyed him up and down. "I was a little busy getting engaged."

Sonia blinked at him in disbelief. "You mean she said yes?"

"Why did everyone think she'd say no?" Sonic raised his arms and let them fall back to his sides as he shook his head. "Goodbye, Sonia."

"Sonic—"

"Love you, too," Sonic quickly said before shutting the door in her face. He turned and stared at the trio on the couches by the fireplace. He looked to Shadow. "Did you think she'd say no?"

Shadow slowly turned his head to gaze at the nuisance. "I plead the fifth."

"Ugh, you are all jerks," Sonic said as he plopped down between Sarah and Amy. The former held a pillow to her chest and the latter was busy looking at her nails.

"Speaking of jerks," Shadow pointed to Sarah. "You have a cat here and didn't tell us."

Sarah, clutching on the pillow, narrowed her eyes in confusion. "How…exactly does that make me a jerk?"

"Get rid of it."

"Still stuck on the jerk part."

"I will get rid of it if you don't."

Sarah moaned as she fell back on the couch, slouching into it. "Shadow's nice though."

"Weren't we talking about jerks?" Amy whispered in a confused tone.

"Wait." Sonic lifted his head and raised an eyebrow at his fiancée. "We have a cat named Shadow?"

"I didn't do it on purpose," Sarah said as she stretched across the two. Her feet skimmed Amy's lap and her thighs were over Sonic's. "He's a black cat and I just thought, 'You know, I'm gonna name him Shadow. And he's gonna like it.' So that's what I did."

"How long have you had him?" Shadow questioned. "Please do not tell me for four years."

"Okay, I had him for six years." Sarah shrugged as they gave her _the look_. "What? He likes his solitude, he's a complete jackass, and he never comes out to see anyone."

"Boy that sounds familiar," Amy stated as she eyed Shadow. The ebony male opened his arms as if to say, 'What?' but Amy only smirked lightly and waved him off.

"Don't you think he'll enjoy the outside better?" Sonic inquired after a long pause. "Because we want him out."

"That's not fair," Sarah complained. "Doesn't he get a say in this?"

"We've gone over this before, Sarah, inanimate objects and animals cannot actually communicate with us," Sonic explained to her calmly as he patted her knee. "Just let him outside. There are tons of trees for shelter and lots of mice for food. He'll love it. Who knows, maybe he'll actually come and see you then."

"I loved that water bottle," she murmured as the pillow covered most of her face as she put it up and over her head. "And then you threw it away."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was _the_ water bottle."

"Wait, what?" Amy stopped the conversation with her confused look.

"Sarah gets attached to inanimate objects rather than actual living people," Sonic sighed exasperatedly. "Mostly water bottles, pencils, erasers, money, and sometimes food. The occasional animal or two. You know. The people who like the company of their computer more than their future spouse," he spoke the last sentence looking at Sarah.

The lime green hedgehog only clicked her tongue and pointed at him. "You got it."

* * *

The warm water helped ease some stress off of Amy's shoulders.

She couldn't get Sam's piercing gaze out of her head.

 _What am I going to do?_

She stood in the shower and let the water run down her body. Part of her told her that she shouldn't be wasting hot water like this. But the other part was too busy on debating what to do about Sam.

 _I could tell Shadow. But what would that solve? What would he do? He'd most likely tell Sonic and the two would confront Scourge about it._

 _If Sam lied about not being a part of the fires then maybe he's lying about watching us. Maybe he was just trying to scare me._

"It worked…" Amy whispered. She held herself as she got out of the shower and shut the water off. Shivering a little, she wrapped the towel around herself and stared at the fogged mirror.

 _I don't know if he was lying or not. I still can't help but feel terrified to go anywhere now._

She dressed quickly in her pajamas and hung up her towel with the rest. Combing through her quills, Amy opened the door and nearly yelped out of fright.

Red eyes glowed in their usual harsh looking gaze.

"Shadow…" Amy breathed out heavily. "You scared me."

"Apologies. But I couldn't help but notice a few things," the ebony hedgehog stepped out of the shadows and leaned up against the doorway. "What exactly happened in town?"

"I went shopping."

"And?"

Amy bit her lip as she set the brush down. Tugging at one of her quills, Amy cleared her throat. "What makes you think anything else happened?"

"Because you forgot some groceries," Shadow responded.

Amy couldn't help but blush in embarrassment. After what happened with Sam, she hadn't bothered with the rest of the list. She had up and left the store. She had wanted to go home, where it was somewhat safe, and away from that _thing._

Now she would have to go back into town to get the rest of the groceries. Shadow probably wasn't happy with her now. Not like he was to begin with.

"And because you smelled like Sam."

She paused and gazed up at him cautiously.

Oh, that would explain the harsh look. He wasn't exactly mad about the grocery thing. He had memorized the scum's scent the first time he had met Sam. It wasn't that hard. Sam was practically the only Mobian he knew that smelled worse than Scourge.

Such a stench on Amy could only mean one thing. And Shadow wasn't an idiot.

His menacing look wasn't really directed to her however. It was more like he was mentally trying to punch Sam from miles away. Still, it was hard to avoid that vermillion gaze that seemed to stare forever until it squeezed the information it wanted out.

"I…might've met up with him."

"You _met up_? Meaning you contacted him?" Shadow growled. "I told you to stay away from him. He's not—"

"I didn't contact him," Amy shook her head. "I ran into him. He wouldn't leave."

Shadow lowly snarled to the side as he glared at the bathroom counter. "I shouldn't have let you gone today…" he murmured to himself as he turned down the hallway. "Or I should've gone with you."

Amy followed him slowly. "Shadow?"

"Trouble does find you, Amy." Shadow sighed as he leaned his head against his closed bedroom door. He glanced down at her. "What happened?"

"He told me about Scourge. Tried to make me believe that they weren't the ones ruining fields. He told me they were just trying to rile up Sonic."

"Sounds like an excuse he'd give," Shadow snorted.

"And then…" Amy stopped short. Shadow raised an eyebrow at her.

"Then what?" It was evident that he wanted no time wasted in this conversation. But Amy still wondered if she should tell Shadow at all. It seemed to be the right thing.

"He said something disturbing. Sam said Scourge knew I was here."

Amy glanced up and wasn't surprised to see Shadow's eyes into slits. Sonic's would've been too. And Sarah's probably. "He said they watch us. Stalk us. I have a feeling they know more about us than we know about each other."

The ebony male gripped the door frame as he breathed out heavily. He closed his eyes and controlled his breathing while thinking of snapping Scourge's neck. Sam's too.

"Shadow?"

…

"Are you going to see Scourge?"

…

Amy bit her lip. Part of her was nervous that if she spoke another syllable, Shadow would lash out at her. Another part told her to keep prying in order to stay in the loop.

She wasn't weak. She could handle her own if something bad happened, but she wanted to know what Shadow's plans were upon hearing the news.

"Shadow?"

"No."

"You're not going to confront Scourge?"

Shadow looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He saw nothing but surprise in her eyes and could hear nothing but disbelief in her voice. "If the bastard wants anything to do with anyone in this house, he'll be the one to make the first move."

"He wants to anger Sonic and you. At least that's what Sam said. Scourge wants to take you down."

A snort of humor filled the air. "Ten years since Mobius crumbled, since we saved their pathetic lives, and they're trying to kill us still," Shadow smirked in a challenging way—as if he were taunting Scourge. "How rude."

"What are you going to do?"

Shadow turned to Amy and towered over her. It was then that Amy saw part of the old Shadow—the arrogant side. The Mr. Ultimate Life Form that couldn't be beat.

"Not a damn thing. If Scourge wants to destroy us so badly, let him try."


	8. Bury the Hatchet

**STH © SEGA**

 **Sarah and Sam © Cozy Shadow**

 **Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _This chapter is the reason why I'm off schedule now. It took so damn long to write and edit._ _Check my profile for TCG updates. If something occurs, the schedule will be changed immediately if possible. So if I don't update by the original date, check again because there's a big chance it's changed if that happens._

 _And Mike (Michael) gets a little part in here after all. I didn't want to think of someone random so I just placed him in there. He belongs to me._

 _If you've read chapters five through eight in one day, bravo. That's roughly 34,445 words in total. That's more than chapters 1-4 combined. Damn. No wonder it took so long for me to write. XD_

 _ALSO, CHECK OUT MY DEVIANTART, PLEASE! Username is BlackPetals23!_

* * *

 **Chapter Eight:**

 **Bury the Hatchet**

Amy had a rough night to say the least.

She watched the ceiling for quite a long time. And then something fluffy climbed onto her feet. It took her second before realizing it was a dog. She hadn't even looked for the dogs or asked to see them since she had arrived and it'd been nearly six days.

The pink hedgehog wasn't sure if it was good to be counting the days. And yet she still found herself marking the days on the calendar mentally.

Around four in the morning, she was awoken by her feet being on fire. She glanced down and frowned at the dog that acted as a furnace.

The dog wouldn't leave either. It was a Shetland sheepdog with a black coat and splotches of brown on its face. A white fluffy belly exposed itself at nearly two in the morning as the dog had rolled on its side. And dark brown eyes constantly looked at Amy whenever she woke up in the middle of the night.

But four in the morning was good enough for her.

She rose up from the couch and tiredly rubbed her eyes.

 _Ugh. Why did I have to say I could work on the farm? Five in the morning is ridiculous._

At that moment, something lightly whacked her upside the head. "Ow!" she hissed.

"Go back to bed."

Amy glanced up, twisting her neck back, and stared at Shadow. He hurried to the door and shoved his shoes on while Amy practically fell on her face to get there before he vanished outside.

"What? Why?" she whispered just as he had. The dog trailed at her heels and licked her hand. "Wait, why are you up so early?"

She glanced over at the desk by the door and saw it. She hadn't seen it before but now…the object seemed to stand out above the rest of the junk near the desk.

A gun.

"There's a skunk. Keep the dog inside, get back to bed."

"But—"

Shadow left and took the gun with him. It wasn't a big gun, Amy guessed. Enough to get rid of a skunk though. And she didn't want to be there for the stink. Silently, the female wondered how on Earth Shadow knew there was a skunk outside.

 _He's a light sleeper, I guess._ She thought to herself tiredly as she trudged back to the couch.

Plopping back down on the sofa, Amy stared at the dog beside her. "Go away."

Instead, the dog lied down on the floor and put its head on its paws. Amy sighed as she wrapped the blankets around her. It was better than having the dog at her feet, setting her ablaze.

And it was definitely better than having to smell a skunk.

* * *

Moaning, Amy nuzzled her pillow before lifting her head. She stretched against the couch and nearly jumped up when she saw the sun up before her.

 _Oh, no! It's most definitely past five! That means I missed feeding animals and probably means Shadow's upset with me!_

"Ah!" Amy yelped as she tripped out of her makeshift bed. She stood and turned where she heard the laughter of a familiar blue blur.

"Boy, are you a sight," Sonic somehow spoke through chortles.

Amy puffed up her bangs. She was sure she looked absolutely glamorous (in the sarcastic manner). Her quills were everywhere and her pajama top was a little to the side after her stunt. A flush of embarrassment was evident.

"Ha. Ha." Amy roughly pulled the top back over her shoulder to hide her bra strap. "Keep laughing, Sonic, and I'll whack you to Mars."

That seemed to stop him for a moment. Then he waved her off and kept up with his light laughter.

"Were you watching me sleep?" she droned as she stumbled into the kitchen.

"I couldn't help it," Sonic admitted as he followed her. "Sarah left for work early and I was about to eat breakfast when I heard you moan in your sleep. Tell me…" he leaned against the counter and gave her a teasing stare, "…were you dreaming of Silver?"

"Ugh…" Amy slumped her shoulders as she reached for a bowl in the cupboard. "You guys will never let that go. We're _just_ friends now."

"Also, Shadow's waiting for you in the pickup."

Just like that, the plastic bowl was thrown up in the air comically and Amy became a pink blur. Sonic smirked as he watched her leave. It was after all only six thirty.

And Amy wasn't the only one that had slept in.

~.~

 _I really should have changed into actual clothes…_

Amy slunk down in her seat and tried to hide her red face. Shadow hadn't made a comment about her pink pajamas that nearly matched her fur color, but his raised eyebrow was enough judgement.

 _All he has to do is raise that damn eyebrow and it makes me feel like the biggest idiot Earth has ever seen. I'd like to see him speechless and red-faced for once._

After they pulled up to the barn and got out, Amy ambled behind Shadow. He opened the heavy barn door partially and let her through before closing it behind him.

It didn't take long for Amy to get into the routine of getting the calves without mothers fed and the horses some hay.

Meanwhile, Shadow fed the rest of the cows and heifers that he had. It was a pretty big barn but not enough as some calves squished together amongst the cows. Amy felt a little bad for them.

"It's a little small of a pen, isn't it?" she asked as she held the bottle the calf was eagerly sucking on.

Shadow threw another flake of hay with the pitchfork out to the cows with a grunt. "We're making another barn near the house that'll be bigger."

"You've done a lot of remodeling, it seems like."

"Just the warehouse," Shadow commented before getting another flake over the cows' heads. "Now that we've got the spare money. We'll tear down this barn and make more land for crops after a year or two."

Amy nodded as the calf butted its head against the empty bottle. She turned and grabbed it from the bottle holder, mentally cringing at the slobber that strung from the metal to the bottle. Amy looked at the other calves that were in the same boat, butting the bottles and mooing for more.

 _At least they're a bit cuter now._

She took no time in cleaning the bottles and heading to the horses. Normally, she would simply grab the hay by her hands and fling it into the pen. But today was different.

"Use the pitchfork."

"What?" Amy stared at the pitchfork as if it were her arch nemesis. "But my hands are just as fast."

"No, they're not. You take forever feeding the horses."

There were only four horses—only one expecting a foal—but it still took Amy a long time to give each two flakes. She frowned and swallowed deeply before she settled her fingertips on the pitchfork. She grasped it unsteadily and lifted the oddly balanced object up.

"Okay…How do I do this?"

Shadow watched with an expression that showed he couldn't believe she asked that question. "Stab the hay."

Amy plunged the pitchfork into the hay bale and tried to make it a lever to separate the hay bale into flakes.

The ebony male watched with a gaped mouth. He couldn't believe it. "Just stab it."

"I'm stabbing it!" Amy shouted as she continued to yank the pitchfork into the hay and then out again. No flake was sticking to the pitchfork like magic. She didn't understand how Shadow did it.

"Oh, my God," he whispered. His eyes were wider than usual. But that was understandable because he had never seen anyone fail this miserably at anything. What made it ten times funnier was that she was trying so hard and doing it incorrectly. "Don't chop at it."

"I'm not chopping it!" Amy angrily yelled as she grew more frustrated with the stupid pitchfork and the giant hay bale.

The horses nickered, watching with perked ears as this two-legger failed to do the simplest thing. It was odd to them because the bigger two-leg could actually use the pointed stick to give them food. This littler two-leg seemed to be having troubles with it.

Sooner than later, their nickers sounded pestering to Amy. It was almost as if the horses were laughing at her. She whirled around to the black horse grouped with a young red one. "I'm trying, okay?!"

She didn't have to look at Shadow to know he was busy face palming and reconsidering hiring her for free.

Shadow pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to think.

 _All right. So far, she's landed upside down in the calf pen, managed to run into Samwell in such a big town, and now she's failed at using a pitchfork._

Red eyes watched the pink female try as she might. _And she's not giving up._

Amy Rose was in the exact same position Shadow had been when he started out as a farmer.

Completely and utterly useless.

Knowing what the frustration was like, Shadow walked up behind her. Amy was now simply flailing her arms about with the pitchfork in tow. Suddenly, hands were over hers and her body became still as the heat of another touched her.

"Relax. Don't go from the top. Go from the side."

Amy tried to ignore the fact that she was in her silk pajamas and being directed by Shadow the Hedgehog on how to use a pitchfork. The scenario left her physically blushing and mentally laughing.

The pitchfork slid into the side of the hay bale.

"Lift slightly," Shadow stated as his hands ran over hers to guide them. "Repeat."

Amy plunged the pitchfork a little further and pulled up as Shadow's hands left hers. She smiled at the success. At the end of the pitchfork rested a flake. Barely.

It lasted about two seconds before falling to the ground.

That didn't stop Amy from grinning back at Shadow. "See? I told you I could do it."

Shadow rolled his eyes as her back turned to him. But the smirk still played at his lips.

 _She's not completely hopeless._ The dark male leaned against the wooden post of one of the pens.

He continued to stare as she tried to scoop up the flake with the pitchfork. It took several attempts but she finally flung it into one of the pens.

And then she was back at the start with only the hay bale and the pitchfork. No Shadow to help her. And still, she continued with more determination than before.

He closed his eyes and rested for a moment or two. It was one of those relaxation days that he rarely found unless it was November or December.

And he was going to take today off. Maybe rest awhile.

After all, Amy seemed to be catching on quickly, though he probably wouldn't admit it for a while (when did he ever?).

 _Yes, she's not completely hopeless. She'll be a good worker yet._

 _SNAP._

Amy blinked widely at the broken piece of wood.

The metal piece of the pitchfork remained in the hay bale as the rest was in her hands still. She swallowed and cautiously looked at the ebony male that had his eyes closed again—a habit that proved to be intimidating to Amy.

Especially while she held the broken half of the pitchfork. _His_ pitchfork.

"Shadow?"

He gritted his teeth and sighed heavily as soon as the snap made it to his ears. Shadow knew that sound. After all, he had been in the same position Amy was in four years ago.

 _But perhaps I should've just let her use her hands instead of the pitchfork._

* * *

Sonic watched the two quietly enter the house and sit down to eat.

It was barely after seven and he didn't have to be at work until eight. So, he took the time to watch Amy and Shadow as they made their way around the kitchen.

Amy settled for cereal while Shadow made oatmeal. The rose hedgehog reached for the orange juice while Shadow got two glasses out and gave one to her.

She took it gingerly from his hands.

"Thanks," her voice was lighthearted and there was a slight blush on her cheeks. Though it was mostly out of embarrassment for breaking the pitchfork, Sonic didn't know that.

 _Hold the phone…_ Sonic glanced between the two and smirked. _My little evil plan is working. With Sarah and I getting married and moving out, these two are bound to get together._

He watched as Shadow sat at the head and Amy sat two chairs away, so there was a chair between them—one that would've normally been taken by Sonic if he hadn't eaten already. The blue hedgehog was leaning against the doorframe as the two either didn't notice him or chose to ignore him.

 _But something tells me they'll need a little shove._

"What are you two going to do today?"

"Resting," Shadow sighed in relief. "Sweet resting. Maybe a nap after breakfast. Have lunch. Nap after lunch. Have dinner. Another nap. Go to bed."

Sonic blinked at his housemate blankly. "Man, do you need a life. Amy?" He turned to the pink female who was falling asleep and about two inches away from kissing her cereal.

"Umm…" Amy rubbed her eyes as she snapped to attention and sat straight. "I don't know. Maybe just…chill."

"You need a life too." He pretended to ponder about something as he sauntered over to the small table. He smacked it as he grinned, jolting both of them awake. "I got it! Why don't you two do something _together_?!"

"Together?" Shadow mumbled as Amy yawned, "Together?"

"Yeah, it'll be good for you two," Sonic nodded. Shadow glared at him knowingly but the blue hero waved him off. "Nothing fancy just like, a movie and a dinner in town or something. Just get to know each other. I'm sure we can all agree that there's been some tension between you two." He leaned against the counter and smirked at them mischievously. "This is a perfect time to bury the hatchet."

"I don't remember the last time I went out to a movie and to eat dinner…" Amy hummed.

Sonic pointed to her and looked at Shadow. "See? She needs to experience the full country experience."

"A movie and dinner is in the city and sounds more like a dat—"

"A day to rest, don't you think?" Sonic nearly yelled as he eyed Shadow. The ebony male bit back a snarl as he continued to glower at Sonic. Sonic met the glare with one of his own. "Learn more about each other."

"Yeah, sure," Amy stood up. "Bury the hatchet," she snorted tiredly in humor as she set the empty bowl in the sink. "I don't see why not. Let me get dressed."

She left the kitchen and everything remained quiet until the bathroom door shut. Shadow stood and met foreheads with Sonic as they butted each other.

"Don't even think about getting us together—"

"Why would I do that?" Sonic sweetly grinned as he pushed against Shadow's forehead.

The ebony male rammed right back. "I'm _not interested_." He growled each word.

"Yet."

Shadow snarled but Sonic beat him to it again. "Listen, Shadow, just go with her. It doesn't even have to be romantic—"

"It won't."

"—you two just have to hang out and get to know each other. I think it'd help you two get along while you're here—"

"We get along just fine."

"C'mon. All of us know you've been a jackass to Amy, or have you forgotten the first day she was here already, huh?" Sonic pushed again. "Did you forget those tears, hm?"

" _Shut up_." Shadow pulled away to butt their heads together again and harder.

Sonic grunted and held his forehead as he backed away. "You owe her this much. She hasn't done something like this in forever and you've been a jerk to her. Make it up to her by doing this if you feel so bad."

"Who says I feel bad?" Shadow snorted as he stuck in his nose up.

Sonic gave him a look that said he didn't buy it. "I know you, Shadow. We've lived together for four years—"

"Don't remind me."

The blue hedgehog sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Just…Let her enjoy the day, Shadow. You never know, you might end up enjoying it as well."

Shadow snorted again, but in disbelief this time, as Sonic left the kitchen.

 _Me? Enjoy the day with her? When I'll probably end up paying for everything._

… _Then again, he has a point. I've been nothing but rude and even though I did apologize, I still feel like there's a rift between us. Perhaps this could help…bury the hatchet._

Shadow closed his eyes in concentration before groaning out of frustration.

"Fine!" He shouted at no one in particular. "I'll go, but that doesn't mean I have to like it," he muttered to himself as he went back to his breakfast.

 _So much for relaxing._

* * *

"This is going to be so much fun!" Amy squealed. "I haven't seen a movie in forever and I've wanted to see this one since it came out!"

Stuck with Sonic's truck (the blue devil was as nice as to lend them his truck and take Shadow's just in case Shadow's broke down) and driving into town, Shadow tuned the pink hedgehog out.

Though, he did note that even if it was _him_ that Amy was stuck with, she still seemed pretty happy.

 _I guess she's really looking forward to the movie._

" _Just…Let her enjoy the day, Shadow. You never know, you might end up enjoying it as well."_

Shadow grunted. _As if, Sonic. As if._

"I've seen every trailer possible—"

 _Then again._ Shadow glanced over at her as he continued to drive on the lonely highway. She was excited and almost never stopped moving in her seat. _She is Miss Contagious. Everything she does rubs off on people._

 _Her bright smile, those sparkling eyes, her—Wait. Did I just I compliment her?_

Shadow mentally shook his head and watched the road.

 _I won't get attached to her. Lord knows it'll feel different when Sonic and Sarah aren't there. At least, I won't have to deal with Sonic's pestering. And Sarah's…well, I never really noticed her until later. And she was more common sensed at times than Sonic. Still, Amy's of a different kind. She yields a different personality and attitude—one that I'm not quite open to letting in right now._

 _Something tells me that if I do let her in like I had with Sonic, it'll be hard to live without her too._

Shadow didn't mean to get attached to Sonic. He had tried desperately to close that door to feelings and relationships with others.

Sonic waltzed right in though and made himself more than a housemate and more than a pest.

The ebony hedgehog gripped the wheel.

Yes, the blue blur would be secretly missed by Shadow.

 _It's not that I don't have any feelings because I do. It's that I don't show them often. After everything I've gone through, it's just easier to not get close. But Sonic became like a frenemy after a while. It was hard to avoid him because he knew right where to look._

"And then there was another part where—"

Glimpsing over at her, Shadow sighed softly. She continued to babble on about some movie about heroes or something, and he continued to think and tune her out.

 _I've only discouraged her for so long to get a quiet house._

 _Because it would be easier that way._

 _It'll be easy to shake Sonic off now that he's getting married, but that doesn't mean he won't be missed at some points in time. I'm not completely heartless like some people think. That's all anyone thought to begin with—that's all humanity saw of me. A monster._

 _Tails was nothing but open and kind to me. I returned the favor._

 _Sonic has been nothing but a friend to me. I returned the favor._

 _But I can't get close to Amy. I can't go through losing another friend—the only people in society that don't cower as I walk by. They don't try to pick fights, they don't try to lock me up, and they definitely don't whisper behind my back._

 _Getting over a death, like Maria's, is done by mourning. But getting over someone leaving and still very much alive isn't quite the same as mourning over a death._

 _When Sonic leaves, I know he'll still be alive. I'll know he's still capable of being there beside me, teasing me in his own characteristically annoying way._

 _With death, they're gone forever. With life, they're beside someone that isn't you._

Shadow did his best not to care about Sonic and Tails, and even Sarah at some points. But it proved to be difficult. They wormed their way inside and Rouge was right.

He didn't let anyone in often, but when he did (or when they came through that door on their own) he was loyal to a fault. He felt strongly more than anyone. Shadow the Hedgehog might not show emotions, but that didn't mean he never had any.

After all, he had a beating heart and a working mind. Who's to say that Shadow didn't return any feelings to anything or anyone?

Humanity of course. They chose to think that the Ultimate Life Form could never actually have a life like their own.

 _Outcast. That's my label in any town. To find people that accept me feels nice, I'll confess._

 _I might like my solitude, but no one wants to be alone forever._

"And then there's other movies that follow this movie and there's going to be a sequel and—"

One last look at Amy and then back at the road. This time, though, he took her all in.

The sight never changed for him—quills that had grown, eyes that lit up enthusiastically, and soft hands motioning with the words that rolled off her tongue and through her full lips. Amy Rose had matured and for the better.

 _I can't let her in. Because she's like me now—an outcast. The only difference is that people actually like her. They don't shy away from her. She might be a welcome guest in their eyes, but I can see right through her façade. She never feels quite like she belongs._

 _She's still awkward and timid around us at the house—probably feels like she's intruding. But who can blame her? I remember._

Looking at the past was one thing he solemn ever did. But he did it the moment he saw Amy Rose at the airport.

The male could recall plenty of times he had seen her.

 _She was always trying to wriggle into Sonic's arms or win his heart even then. But as the destruction of Mobius and the fall of Eggman occurred, she changed. She became less…there. She was hardly ever seen unless during battle._

Even after Sonic got a girlfriend before the collapse of their home planet, it was evident that Amy had become astray from the group.

He had turned his attention back to the road as her words continued to be jumbled as background noise. Red eyes stared tiredly at the pavement, still several minutes from the town.

 _But she does belong with the group—with the team._

 _Amy's always had such faith and confidence in other people, but after a while she started losing it in herself. Being with us now, it's coming back. She's becoming the old Amy—minus the crazy stalker thing for Sonic._

Just as the town was barely seen on the horizon, he had a notion that things were about to change because of Amy's arrival.

 _And I know that if I let her in, it'll be impossible for her to leave. She'll be surrounded by friends, and she'll probably get to me too. I can't do it. Not again._

 _If I let her in now, she'll stay forever with us. And when she leaves, it'll be saying goodbye to one more person that didn't scream and point at me in horror. It'll be the loneliness embracing me once more as I'm reminded of the beast that society sees when they take one look at me._

Shadow the Hedgehog didn't let anything get to him. No pestering or fooling. He wasn't naïve. But he didn't belong either.

And the one thing anyone really wants after a life of being deemed as a cruel monster is to fit in somewhere—to be a part of the puzzle.

 _Amy will find her place in the world just like Sonic and Tails did. But I'll always be the extra piece._

 _I've accepted that._

* * *

Pulling up to the cinema theater, Shadow noticed the parking lot practically empty.

Amy noticed too.

As he shut off the truck, he unbuckled. Amy did so slowly before leaning over and whispering, "There is, like, no one here."

Red eyes stared at her oddly. "Then why are you whispering?"

Amy huffed and got out of the warm truck and into the chilly February morning air. She held herself and hurried to the main entrance, "Why'd you park so far away?!"

"Why didn't you bring a coat?" Shadow muttered as he chose to take his time.

Amy rushed to the open the heavy door. As she stumbled in, Amy practically heard her own echo.

 _It's been awhile since I've been in a theater…The smell of popcorn is making my mouth water._

Her stomach growled as Shadow made his way in and walked past her. "Didn't you eat?"

"Cereal, but c'mon," Amy slumped her arms. "It's not like cereal actually feels you up any. I can have five bowls and still not be satisfied. It's like eating nothing."

"Hmph," Shadow grunted and walked to the only ticket booth open. "Get the tickets. I'll pay seeing as you probably don't have any money."

"I work for free, why would I have any money?" Amy squinted at him as if it were the dumbest thing ever said. "Thanks for reminding me about my low amount of cash."

"You're welcome. Now get the tickets or I'm leaving."

"Why can't you?" She stood off a few feet away while the worker behind the booth watched them quarrel.

"I don't know what we're watching."

"That's impossible! I talked nonstop about it on the way here!" Amy nearly shouted as her voice went up an octave.

"All the more reason to tune you out."

"Ugh, _men_." Amy marched to the counter and smiled politely at the boy that was working there. "Not you, of course."

"Hmhm." The worker didn't seem pleased with her statement.

~.~

"And here I thought everyone liked Amy Rose," Shadow snorted as they walked down the long aisle—heading to Theater 6. "Not that guy."

"I didn't mean to have the worse timing ever while speaking," Amy said through bites of popcorn. She clutched onto her bowl as Shadow merely held a handful and called it good. "And he just had to be a guy. God was getting even with me."

Shadow hummed as he turned abruptly into the theater and walked up the carpeted ramp. She followed him into the darkness. Turning, they got a good look at the seats. Amy was delighted upon seeing no one else there.

"Yes! We get to sit wherever we want!" Amy made a dash with her giant popcorn bowl and large soda to the very back. Seven steps out of about fifty and she stopped to look at Shadow, "You coming or not?"

The camouflaged male sighed. "Do I even have a choice right now?"

Though they couldn't quite see each other, Amy grinned at what she figured to be him. "C'mon!"

The pink hedgehog raced up the steps and managed to not spill anything. She plopped herself in the very center of the top row and waited as Shadow ambled towards her.

As Shadow sat down and got comfortable, leaning back in the chair like her, Amy offered him more popcorn. He was going to say no but the ad on the giant screen illuminated her eyes—which were filled with kindness and contentment.

So, he had, again, no choice. After all, he didn't want her upset with him or else she'd tell Sonic. Even if she tried to hide it from him, the cobalt flash would squeeze it out of her eventually.

 _And I would get yelled at it and feel like a complete asshole…again._

Shadow shook his thoughts free from his housemates and the newcomer—focusing solely on the trailers as he tried to remember the movie they were watching. Something about heroes.

Amy, on the other hand, was in the opposite situation. While she had thought of nothing but the movie on the ride there, she now thought of hardly anything but her new living arrangements—more specifically the people.

She hated to feel like a burden on their lives, but she unfortunately did.

 _I should've chosen a better life. But it's not my fault I was fired. Technically, my boss didn't really fire me. The head editor at my magazine corporation fired me. He practically got rid of everyone…_

 _At least the others have fared well._

 _I mean, Shadow's actually gotten somewhere than a just a deep, dark cave and his loneliness to keep him company. Sonic's actually gotten through to him. Now if only I could figure out how to do that. I could stay here a bit longer._

 _Though I still feel like a giant weight added onto their already aching shoulders. They have enough to worry about._

 _Still, they haven't kicked me out. But then again, maybe it's just because they're trying to be nice. Maybe I should have_ _gone with Blaze and Silver. Or Rouge._

 _Then she wouldn't be so angry with me._

Amy sighed inwardly as she sank lower in the comfy seat. The giant popcorn bowl rested on her lap as Amy began to forget about its existence. The opening of the movie started.

 _Which reminds me, I need to call Cream. And most definitely apologize to her for not keeping in contact. I have no clue where exactly she is and what she's doing though. I'll have to talk to Tails, like Shadow said._

She glanced over at Shadow as the alien-like voices spoke about some gem or another on the big screen. His red eyes were glued to the movie though. Shadow never once glanced at her as she peeked at him.

 _Shadow…He's been the most different group member after eight years since the team split up. Then again, Sonic's gone through a little bit of change. I never thought I would see Sonic settle down, but I'm glad he finally chose to. Shadow's still distant for the most part, but I have a feeling he and Sonic are closer than it appears._

Several minutes passed and the movie was already action packed. Amy watched as she decided to think about something else—not Shadow. Or anyone else for that matter. But even as the loud noises bounced off the walls and as the scenes changed dramatically, causing suspense, and as people became good or bad by force, Amy was still stuck reflecting on her previous thoughts.

The main title appeared as the music soared and made Amy tap her feet lightly against the ground. She watched as the movie welcomed a new character.

 _All of these people were outcasts to begin with. All of them had to work together and learn to feel needed in their group. All of them have weaknesses and strengths but they're complete when together._

 _That's how I feel when I'm with the team…but then why do I feel like such a burden?_

She curled up, stilling hugging the popcorn bowl—her knees and chest pointed to Shadow. She idly grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it in her mouth as her eyes locked onto the screen.

Amy tried to enjoy the movie, she really did. But all she could think about was that Shadow had been _forced_ to sit beside her. Any act of kindness from any of them was forced.

 _After all, that's how it starts. You see a homeless person on the street and before you hand them money, you have a little push. A little emotion before kindness called pity._

 _But how could anyone like him…_ Green eyes gazed up at the ebony hedgehog slowly. _…feel any pity towards me? To anyone?_

 _Could Shadow have changed that much over eight years? Could Sonic really have influenced Shadow to be...whatever he is now?_

His hands were rested on each of the arms of the chair. The fur on his arm brushed against her clothed calves, but he didn't seem to notice. Amy breathed in sharply as she cleared her throat as silently as possible to dislodge a piece of popcorn.

 _I'll admit, he's got his good moments like everyone else. He's just like us when it comes down to it. The only difference is that he likes his alone time more than the rest of us. And he can be a prude while also very blunt and rude. He might not always see others' feelings from time to time but he's not a…_

She stopped herself short.

 _The only thing people have ever seen in him is a monster. Shadow helped save billions of lives during the Mobius destruction. Without us—without everyone including Shadow—more lives would've been lost and another planet completely gone._

 _Shadow was and will always be a hero in the team's eyes. But society…_

The pink hedgehog closed her eyes and leaned against the chair, listening to the sounds of the movie.

 _Society never gave him a chance._

 _Fear struck through their eyes when they looked at him. I can't even imagine how he felt—how he feels. How can he possibly go out in public even now? Surely, there are people who still gawk at him with freaked out looks on their faces._

 _I feel like a drain on anyone's life and he's the outsider that can't catch a break._

Amy opened her eyes and stared at the male softly. His features were hard to tell unless the screen lit vividly, but he seemed to be engrossed in the film. In one movement, Shadow leaned to his right and placed his head against the palm of his hand, closer to Amy.

She caught any stray popcorn pieces in her mouth with her tongue as she tried to watch him as discreetly as possible. After one last glimpse, she turned her head to the big screen, leaning it against her propped up legs and folding her arms to place her cheek on.

 _Looks like we both have our own problems._ She lightly grinned against her arm. _Maybe we're not that different after all._

* * *

The movie wasn't bad.

Shadow actually kind of liked it. The life of a farmer could get monotonous very quickly. So, four years can do things. And having Sonic the Hedgehog as a housemate (long story to be explained a little later) would definitely change some things.

Turns out, the ebony hedgehog had good taste in movies. Frankly, he didn't choose the superhero one that he had watched today, so that meant Amy had good taste too.

And as they hopped back into the pickup truck, he had hoped they would simply get dinner somewhere and go home. But seeing as it was barely afternoon and they had time to spare—he was sure this was what conjured the thought in the pink hedgehog's mind—Amy asked if they could go to the mall.

Now, Shadow liked the movie.

But he hated the mall.

Finding a parking spot was no problem. After all, it was a Monday and everyone there was either sluffing school, stay-at-home parents, or mall employees.

 _Then there's us two._ He thought to himself as his legs carried him sluggishly to the front entrance. They started with the big, fancy smanshy bookstore.

"Was there anything in particular you wanted, Amy?" Shadow droned exasperatedly. "I'd like to spend as little time here as possible."

Even on a Monday, he couldn't escape the second glances filled with slight terror. "Remember, I'm not quite liked. Never have been and probably never will be."

"Oh, please," Amy clasped onto his folded arm and practically used him as a leaning post. "Don't be so dramatic." Although she knew what he said was probably the truth, the rose female was always trying to think optimistically.

"No, I'm sure that baby over there just saw me and started to cry."

Amy rolled her eyes and let go of him as she picked up a book. Shadow halted beside her and glanced down at her choice, "Mystery, hm?"

"I know," she said as if she were caught. Giving him a light laugh, Amy continued to look at the back cover of the book. "Romance novels would seem the choice for me."

"Romance novels seem the choice for any college dropout."

Green eyes tried their best to glare but Shadow wasn't intimidated in the slightest. It was when those eyes suddenly lighted up with wonder that Shadow got a little uncomfortable. "How'd you know I was a dropout?"

"I believe you started college when we all lived in the city together. The two years the team remained together."

"Oh…right. I forgot about that. I mean, we didn't exactly live together, together. It was more or less just…nearby." Amy shrugged it off and put the book down. Together, they walked through the magazine section when she noticed the coffee shop placed into the bookstore (which was placed into the mall). "Coffee?"

"You just had a large soda and popcorn. Isn't that enough energy—"

"Hot chocolate, perhaps?" Amy tried her best in persuading the obstinate lifeform.

Shadow sighed. "It's not any better. Not caffeinated, but…chocolate and that's a sweet and—"

Amy waved it off and made a quick grab for his hand, dragging him into the shop. There wasn't a door, but it took three good bounds and some extra muscle to get the one with the money inside.

"Decaf then?"

"I'm good."

"Frappuccino? Espresso? Latte? Cappuccino? It's not exactly the same as a latte—or caffé latte whichever way you want to say it." Amy listed off as Shadow took his hand away from hers and folded them across his chest calmly.

Although, Amy would've bet a million dollars that there was a slight rosy tint to his cheeks and it wasn't from the breeze outside. She would've teased him for centuries about it, but since he would evidently pay for everything today, she had to be nice and suck up as to not feel as bad.

"I don't want anything," Shadow reassured her through a whisper laced with annoyance. "Just get something."

"But then I'll feel bad for using your money to buy me a drink. Not to mention, I was hoping to catch some sales for clothing."

"You bought clothes at the grocery store."

"Not that many." Amy was now behind only one person and was eyeing the menu like a hungry vulture. "I was trying to be quick. Haven't you noticed I've worn the yellow shirt twice now?"

Shadow closed his eyes as he tried to tune her out. But it wasn't as easy as tuning her out when they were driving.

"Why would I notice what you're wearing?" he murmured as his head bent.

Hey, even the Ultimate Life Form needed his naps. And frankly, he couldn't get them today because _someone_ had to suggest that he go on a little bonding trip with Amy.

 _Stupid Sonic. I'll get him for this. Although the movie wasn't bad, I didn't expect to be going to the mall. I can just imagine what some people will think when they see us together._

He shot awake at the sudden thought. Amy meandered up one step and started talking to the cashier.

 _Oh, no. What_ will _they think? Ugh. This is why I don't go out in public often. Even if I'm hated, it doesn't mean the newspapers never talk about me. There've been some articles. 'Shadow the Hedgehog Buying New Shoes: Possible Plan of Attack.' 'Shadow the Hedgehog Eating Dinner at Restaurant – Leaves Normal Tip.' 'Shadow the Hedgehog Spotted Buying Horse Feed – Possible Army.'_

 _God, those humans. Looking for anything to write down. The shoes one was pretty good though. I frankly thought the black ones just blended in too much but they did have a point with brown not matching black—ever._

 _But if they see me with Amy..._

 _They'll most likely have to look up Amy Rose if she hasn't been talked about in New York, which is frankly impossible—they had to have noticed her. She's a pink hedgehog for Christ's sake. Then when they look up Amy Rose, figure out she was a hero, they'll assume we're together. Or that I kidnapped her._

 _I can already see the title: 'Retired Hero Amy Rose Kidnapped by Shadow the Hedgehog – Stopped for Coffee.'_

"Shadow?"

"Hm?" The ebony male blinked and was back in reality, staring down at the petite female that was his new housemate.

"Are you sure you don't want something, sir?" the cashier asked politely. It was a younger human, probably didn't know anything about Shadow, and female.

"Ah, what the hell," Shadow breathed as he stepped to the counter, "Coffee."

"What kind?"

He stared at her, "…Just coffee."

The human gazed up at him and then smiled softly. It obviously wasn't the first time she had to deal with this. "We have a menu, sir." She pointed at it and he glimpsed up.

There were so many options. Shadow the Hedgehog was stuck. It wasn't the first time, but he hated to admit that he was stuck on choosing _coffee._ He just thought coffee was coffee. He didn't know there were different kinds.

A hand softly touched his shoulder. "How about a grand Vanilla Bean Frapp with two pumps of white mocha and three of milk chocolate, please?"

Shadow quickly looked down at Amy.

 _What the hell did she even say?_ He stared at her and then at the cashier, who spoke to the worker beside her. "What…What she said, I guess."

 _Hopefully it's better than coffee._ Shadow took out his wallet as Amy leaned up against the counter. The worker handed Amy her drink and then Shadow's not a second later. The ebony hedgehog had paid and had taken a moment to scrutinize the drink that was apparently for him.

"What is it?"

"It's a Frappuccino," Amy giggled as she sipped on hers that looked quite similar.

Shadow carefully took it. No one else was in line so he stayed put—just in case he didn't like the drink. It looked like mud slush with whip cream on top. "Which is what exactly?"

"Basically frozen coffee."

He exhaled heavily and put his lips to the straw and closed his eyes. _Please be better than coffee. Please be better than coffee._ He hoped and prayed it would be better than the stuff that was at home. It was still coffee apparently, but tasted different.

Amy excitedly took the scene in. Shadow hesitantly drank the unfamiliar drink and immediately paused. She bit on her own straw, hoping her guess had been a good one.

He opened his eyes and looked at the drink. "Not as good as orange juice but better than what is at home. Where can I get it?"

"Here," Amy pointed at the coffee shop. "I don't exactly know the ingredients but it's kind of like a Frosty from a fast food joint, ya know?" She sucked on the straw as he gave her a confused look. Amy stopped and swallowed as she pulled away from the straw. "You never had a Frosty?"

"Never ate at a fast food joint."

"What are you doing living in America then?" Amy sighed dramatically as she grabbed his arm.

They were off, once again.

Going through an aisle of mystery books, Amy decided to take her time in the bookstore before anywhere else in the mall. Shadow was never too far away. He drank greedily and passed the time looking at any interesting books.

He had turned into another aisle, where he spotted Amy on the floor and looking at one book in particular, when his drink was completely gone. Nibbling on the straw while whatever was in that drink energized him, he sat beside Amy—leaning his back against the book shelf. First, he looked at the book and then at her. Then he glanced around as his leg continuously moved.

Amy looked over slowly. _Maybe it wasn't a good idea for him to get a drink. He seems a little…hyper._ She turned her head back to the book but her gaze stayed on Shadow when he decided to speak.

"Sonic's into mystery books."

Amy snorted in disbelief. "Sonic reads?"

"We have more spare time in the winter than you think. Plus, the job at the parts store isn't all too exciting. I, myself, am more interested in the action more than the mystery."

"Oh, and why's that?" Amy hummed as she made conversation—starting to regret the drink. Hers still rested beside her and Shadow noticed. Part of her told him that his hyper side wanted the rest of her neglected drink, but the real Shadow side of him went against it.

"I can easily tell who the bad guy is."

Amy sighed heavily and stood up. She clutched onto the book and held her drink in her free hand as she seemed to stare lowly down at the currently different hedgehog. The rose hedgehog was beginning to notice his eyes were dilated. The hyper responsive male didn't quite seem to care.

"Oh, really?"

He twitched his ears as he turned his head in every which way direction. His nose sniffed the air and his eyes suddenly weren't as dilated as before. Amy couldn't quite comprehend what was happening to him, but she decided to never give Shadow the Hedgehog a Frappuccino ever again. Shadow, on the other hand, rose quickly and walked away.

"Hey!" Amy shouted after him. She groaned in annoyance and ran after the adventuring male. "Shadow, wait up!"

"Shush," he calmly stated as she rounded the corner and nearly ran into him. He slowly glanced around the corner and stared at the children's section with squinting eyes. "I heard something."

"Well, yeah. There are tons of people here," Amy motioned around tiredly. "It's the _mall_."

"Call it instinct, but something is not right." Shadow leapt forward and vanished from her sight.

She sipped on the straw, looking uninterested on joining this lunatic's adventure. The Frappuccino was a _really bad_ idea. "I'm gonna call it idiocy more than instinct."

Amy sauntered after him, taking her time as she made herself look like she wasn't with him but merely heading in the same direction. "You know, you're acting a little peculiar…" she thought out loud as Shadow scanned the children's section. "I think that drink did something to you. And something, call it instinct," she mocked, "Tells me that if we tried it with Sonic, we'd get crazier outcomes."

"It smells different."

She shrugged to her own thoughts as she ignored him. "I mean, you have better self-control than Sonic. I'm sure the results with him would be disastrous. You're just being weird." Amy twisted around to stare at him.

The sight would've made anyone laugh. Shadow the Hedgehog was lined up against the wall as if he were hiding. He kept glancing around quickly, mostly in the child's section of the bookstore. But Amy held a straight face. This definitely was not what she pictured when she thought of going to the bookstore with him.

 _But I just had to get him a Frappuccino. Hell, I'm sure anything would've done this. I don't even think the coffee he drinks at home is really coffee. It's probably decaf._

"Shadow?"

He ignored her. Red eyes continuously looked around for danger.

Amy ran a hand through her bangs and groaned. "Fine. Okay. You stay here and be weird."

She turned and took two steps and glanced back at him. The dark Mobian was still just standing there like an idiot.

"I'm going to go get kidnapped now." Amy pursed her lips and glared at him. "Maybe hook up with some wanted people. Destroy the planet."

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing broke this guy's concentration.

She rubbed her eyes and took a sip of her drink. Stopping short, Amy stared at it and then back at Shadow. Slowly, she approached the delusional, hyper male. The straw touched his lips and he whipped his head back at her.

Red eyes were completely dilated. He looked like a stoned creeper hanging out in the kid's section and to make everything worse, he was Shadow the Hedgehog.

So, Amy stretched her arm a little to offer the drink. "Here. Just take this. And follow me."

"Somebody's following us."

Thoughts of Sam flashed through her mind but she erased them quickly. "Whatever. They can follow us to the clothing department for all I care. Just take the damn drink and _calm down._ "

Another Frappuccino would surely make things worse. But Amy had to get him to move somewhere else. Looking like a crazy person near the children's area was _not_ a good idea.

The cop inside the bookstore she had seen earlier would surely notice sooner or later. And if anyone reported Shadow to the cop for suspicious behavior, the cop would investigate. And how was Amy supposed to explain to the officer that the hero's eyes were dilated because of a Frappuccino and not drugs?

So, she did the only thing she could think of.

If she couldn't get his attention by talking, the drink would have to be the best way to go.

Unfortunately, after buying the book (making sure he didn't make eye contact with the cashier was a hassle) and heading out of the bookstore, Amy began to think her idea over.

 _I could've just thrown a book at him. But who knows, he might've Chaos Speared me or something._

She glanced over at him in slight concern.

This time around, Shadow took small sips and wasn't trying to gulp the drink down. His fingers shook and Amy figured he'd stop and kneel over from a heart attack or something pretty soon. She just planned to serenely walk away and pretend not to know him, if anyone asked.

 _If he doesn't die because of a Frappuccino, our drive home should be fun._ Sarcasm oozed out of her as she walked into a clothing department with Shadow in tow. Every now and then, the pink female was required to grab onto his jacket and yank him in the right direction.

His legs shook and whenever he began to pace impatiently, Amy had to stop him. She debated on calling Sonic for help, but she doubted that the blue blur had tried a Frappuccino.

 _Sonic doesn't drink coffee at home. Why in the world would he get a Frappuccino when he came into town? I doubt he's had any caffeinated or sugary drink. I don't know about soda though._ Amy glanced at Shadow as he sat down in the chair by the changing rooms, bouncing his leg up and down hurriedly. _And we're not about to try that journey either. Never again, Shadow the Hedgehog, am I giving you any type of drink besides juice and water._

Things were beginning to slow down for the two after the first three shops within the mall. Amy had titled Shadow as the bag carrier since he threw away the drink that had once been hers. He was still a little jittery and got a few strange looks, but overall, he was calming down.

Mostly.

Not really.

"Let's go in here," Amy motioned to the shoe store. She was sure that if Shadow saw the couch in the back, he would crash and they'd never leave—but at least a nap would make the hyper drive go away. After all, she didn't want him to fall asleep on the drive home.

Inside, the store was homey and warm, making Shadow yawn. He placed himself down in a chair while Amy found her size and looked through the different styles. The male counterpart placed his heavy head in the palm of his head, resting his elbow on the arm of the chair. As Amy grabbed a pair of red flats and sat beside him to try them on, Shadow exhaled through his nose heavily.

"Why don't you see Silver and I together?"

Her voice came out soothing to him, but the question could've been different or not a question at all. He would've preferred it if she hadn't spoken.

"Um…" Shadow hummed in thought but couldn't quite process anything at the moment as his eyes drooped heavily. "What?"

"Sarah said you didn't believe Silver and I dated. That you couldn't see it happening."

"Yes, well," Shadow yawned and sank down in the seat. "When you first said you dated him, I didn't believe you. I mean…the naïve one?" He turned to look at Amy through wearily squinted eyes. "You stoop from Sonic to Silver? In, like, what—one day?"

Amy glowered bitterly and the tired, somewhat out of it hedgehog just stared at her as if it unfazed him.

"No. When Sonic started to date someone that wasn't me, I just…I didn't see myself as anything to the group. So I left."

"Hmhm."

"I didn't go far. I mean, I went to Cream's house the night after Sonic said he was dating someone. I ate my emotions through chocolate cake while Cream pretended to listen and understand my troubles. Then I decided to move on…" Amy sighed as she reflected on her past, looking at the carpet. "It wasn't easy at first. But then I ran into Silver in town. It was all during the whole Mobius dying because of Eggman thing and the portal Tails created with the help of the Chaos emeralds and the Master Emerald.

"Anyway, Silver and I became friends. We didn't relate with any of our issues. And I'm not sure if Blaze had any interest in him then or vice versa. But we stuck together during the destruction of Mobius, Eggman's fall, and splitting apart. We moved in together when we got to New York and…decided to date."

Amy licked her lips as she thought about every event and how it all played out. "I'll admit, he's a good kisser now but only because I taught him." She grinned lightheartedly and clasped her hands as her left leg (with the shoe from the store) rested on her right knee.

"Things were never super intimate. We'd kiss and hold hands. I think we made out once. And then it was just gone and we broke up mutually. We were just better as best friends than boyfriend and girlfriend. And I'm glad we broke up, truthfully. He ended up with Blaze and the two have been together ever since."

She clapped her knees as she put her left leg down. "So, now do you see him and me possible?"

Amy glanced over and frankly wasn't surprised to see Shadow sleeping. His head was two seconds away from falling off his palm, which would surely jerk him awake.

Amy exhaled deeply as she took the flat off and threw it back in the box.

"Good chat."

~~~.~~~

Turns out, Amy stayed most of her time in that shoe store. It wasn't because she was trying to wake Shadow up—no, she just let him sleep there.

There were so many shoes to choose from. And when the black hedgehog finally woke up about ten minutes after falling asleep, Amy was holding two boxes of shoes to his face, "Which ones?"

The back-to-normal hedgehog blinked and then glanced down at the shoes.

 _God, did I fall asleep?_ He raised an eyebrow at the shoes but mainly himself. It was a slight raise but even Amy saw it. It was beginning to be a noticeable habit of his, rather than his once infamous smirk. _For how long was I out? I don't even remember sitting down in this chair. Where are we?_

Red eyes gazed up at Amy and he was about to ask all of those questions, but she beat him to it.

"Never drink a Frappuccino again. Now, which ones?"

Shadow narrowed his eyebrows as his neck turned down so he could look upon the shoes…which looked very similar to him. They were both flats. One was a floral pattern with a blue background. The other pair had a bigger floral pattern but similar colors.

"They look the same."

"One has a bow on the front and one does not."

"Whatever," Shadow groaned as he stood and stretched. Amy stepped back to allow him to do so without touching him. "Where are we?"

"The shoe store." Amy raised a questioning brow as she placed the pair without the bow away. "You don't remember? We sat and talked about my brief relationship with Silver. Well, technically, you fell asleep during it but I don't know which part. It wasn't very surprising that you fell asleep though since you were very close to making a sonic boom around this mall."

Shadow swallowed as he tried to remember any of it. "I just remember sitting down at the mystery section of the bookstore and somebody started to follow us."

"Yeah, your little instinct moment," Amy scoffed as she went to the cash register with her favored pair of shoes. "You just looked like someone on drugs that was trying to kidnap a child."

Shadow stiffened. He followed her and reluctantly paid for the shoes.

"Did you get the bags?"

"Bags? What bags?" Shadow twisted around in circles, looking for bags.

He was pretty sure he heard Amy growl before she stomped off and came back with about seven bags.

Shadow didn't remember buying her anything but the frapa-machincko whatchamacallit. And he certainly didn't recall carrying any bags.

"What—"

"We can go get something to eat now, Mr. Instinct." She grabbed the bag with her newly bought shoes and grabbed Shadow's wallet before stuffing it in his jacket pocket and swiftly making her way out of the store. "I'm hungry."

The Ultimate Life Form grumbled under his breath as he was now back to his original self. The hyper drive was gone and the speedster could think normally.

 _I can already imagine how this conversation will go with Sonic. He'll ask me how it went and I'll tell him: The movie was overall good, but it went downhill from there. She made me try this drink and I blacked out for some time only to wake up with my money gone and carrying bags of—_

He stopped as one bag caught his attention.

Shadow didn't get out much, but he had a female housemate before Amy. Sarah had gotten sales for some store that sold only undergarments, perfumes, and some makeup. The pink bag was enough to make Shadow's ego falter.

 _Bad news is that she drugged me with some type of drink and took my money. Good news is that I don't remember going into a store full of women's undergarments._ He eyed the bag harshly. _Extra bad news is that anyone in that store knows I went in there and will now think I'm her personal slave._

"Shadow, c'mon!" Amy hollered from outside the store. Shadow ignored her angry tone and ambled out as he thought with a somewhat evil smirk.

 _Extra good news is that I can easily destroy anyone who saw me inside that store._

* * *

The restaurant was right next to the movie theater, and the mall was practically across the street. So it all worked out for Amy.

Shadow was still left to carry the bags and keep the people that might've seen him inside _that_ store alive. Even so, he was back to his normal self and pleased that Amy wasn't giving him a fit with the restaurant that he chose.

It was close and affordable—for the most part.

 _That and Sonic suggested it. But if she enjoys it, I take full credit. If she doesn't, it was Sonic's plan._

Shadow followed her in after holding the door open. It wasn't too crowded as they were an hour just before rush hour. Didn't change the fact that he still wanted to go home.

Still, the smell of food caught his attention. And the sound of Amy's stomach grumbling for food couldn't be ignored. She was griping about it every five seconds.

"God, there's no one here. Hurry up," Amy scowled.

Shadow began to notice a pattern within females. When Sarah was hungry, she became angry. She called it hangry—which was apparently a word. Amy was showing similarities to Sarah. She was hungry and therefore angry.

He didn't exactly want to deal with it though.

Whenever Sarah was hangry, Sonic made her sandwich. Or she made herself mac and cheese. Shadow couldn't just walk into the kitchen and take some food out to make Amy shut up. He had to sit it out as the waitresses got tables ready.

And finally, a leopard waitress walked up in heels and the biggest hoop earrings Shadow had ever seen.

She smiled at the two, noticing how unhappy Amy looked and how far Shadow seated himself away from her. "Hello. Sorry to keep you two waiting. We've got a table ready though."

The leopard grabbed two menus as Shadow and Amy followed her. "We had a party of _thirty_ today during lunch and they almost didn't leave. It was crazy."

Leading them to a booth, she motioned to the seats. Amy sat across from Shadow and swallowed to keep the slobber in as her mouth watered at the sight of incredible food at the table beside theirs. The couple across from them was older and obviously married—and Amy actually considered stealing some of their food.

"Your waiter will be Michael. He'll be right with you. Sorry for the wait."

"No problem," Amy offered her a warm grin and the leopard was off. She turned back to Shadow. "So, this looks a little pricy."

Shadow had already put the menu up to block his face. He was too busy looking at food and trying to tune her out. "Eat whatever."

Amy thumbed the menu and glanced up at him again. Though his voice was normally rough and rude, she began to see that it was simply just how he spoke. It didn't necessarily mean he was annoyed with her…did it?

"I'll pay you back for everything, eventually. I promise. I kept all the receipts to add up the debt."

She stared at his menu, where his face would've most likely been glaring at her. Shadow grunted and flipped the page back and forth as he tried to decide. "It'll be a while, don't you think?"

"Doesn't mean I can't pay you back sometime," Amy retorted.

"That would require you actually having money, which you don't. And the only way you can get money is to have a job, which you—again—don't."

Nothing held the green eyes back as they glared holes through the menu. Or, so it seemed in her imagination.

And then suddenly, they weren't the only ones at the table. The waiter, Michael, appeared. He was a grey hedgehog and a bit clumsy with his lankier body in such an enclosed environment. Still, he opened the notepad up and clicked his pen.

"Hello, I'm Michael. I'll be your waiter—"

"Water."

Brown eyes stared at Shadow. Michael quickly wrote it down with a sigh. "Been here before, sir?"

The only response the waiter got was a huff. The grey hedgehog turned to Amy and got ready to write. "For you, miss?"

"Oh…Um…" Amy gazed down at the menu. She hadn't even seen the drinks. The drinks were always the hardest things to find. They were sometimes on the back, they were sometimes on the front, and she'd seen some in the middle at restaurants. It was like finding a needle in a haystack.

"Water," she decided with a hum of distaste.

"All right. Two waters. Nothing else?"

"For now."

Amy watched as the waiter seemed to zip out of there at Shadow's tone.

The menu still hid the bolshie hedgehog's face. His quills stuck out and she could see the beginning of his eyes, but nothing else. So, Amy leaned back and stretched her legs. Stretching them caused an awkward moment between the two Mobians as Amy's shoes hit Shadow's leg.

All Amy knew was that he moved his legs as soon as she made contact. She didn't pull back though and thus Shadow was stuck having her feet between his. Though neither seemed to really notice or care as they weren't touching anymore. For all Shadow knew, her feet were back on her side of the table.

Their waiter came back in record timing with the water. "Have you decided what you wanted this evening?" He grinned at both of them before settling on Amy as Shadow set the menu down.

"Oh! Uh," Amy thumbed through the menu again as Shadow rolled his eyes.

The waiter, however, chuckled. "I can come back, miss."

"That's alright, I've decided," Amy laughed.

"Are you sure?" he teased as Shadow watched the entire scene unfold before him.

Amy blushed a great deal as she cleared her throat. "I'm positive." The bright smile caught both male's attentions.

Michael clicked the pen hurriedly, making the annoying ticking sound that had Shadow wanting to rip the pen from his grasp, "What would you like, miss?"

"Well, what do you like?"

Shadow had to stop and reanalyze just what was going on before him.

The waiter and Amy were laughing. Amy was blushing lightly but it was gradually increasing. The waiter kept that same stupid smirk he had from the beginning.

 _Is she…flirting with this guy?_ Shadow blinked as he suddenly became uncomfortable with the situation. _Great. Show her a great time, Sonic said. It'll be fun, he said. Now, I have to sit here and watch them flirt hopelessly with each other._

"And your date would like?"

 _Or maybe not._ Shadow cleared his throat as Amy choked on her water. "Eight ounce sirloin with baked potato—everything but the cheese—and a house salad with ranch."

The black hedgehog coolly gave Michael the menus, showing off a triumphant smirk as he didn't seem to question Michael's assumption. The grey male cleared his throat and grabbed the menus.

"That'll be right out." He seemed to bow slightly in submission at the older hedgehog. He gave a fleeting glance at Amy—a wanting glance more or less.

 _Hmmm…_ Shadow smirked as he leaned across the table calmly, linking his fingers and using them to prop up his chin. "So…"

Amy didn't like the way those red eyes were looking at her. She knew she was only a few seconds away from a teasing.

"He fancies you."

"Really, I didn't notice," Amy murmured as she preoccupied herself with tracing the patterns on the table.

"And flirted with you."

"Funny, didn't hear a thing."

Shadow glanced over at the older couple. The lady gave them quick, concerned glances but other than that she kept to her own. "And you flirted with him."

Amy kept her fist in her lap, even though she so desperately wanted to swing it at Shadow. He was just enjoying this torturing game of Tease Amy. A flush crept up her cheeks and she gulped as her face felt hotter than usual the more Shadow spoke.

"Perhaps, I should change positions with him. Let him sit down as I play the waiter. Then maybe you'll finally stop complaining and be happy."

"I am not complaining," Amy suddenly retorted. Her ears flattened as Shadow inwardly smirked greater. Just as he suspected and wanted, the rose female was lashing back in her hothead manner. She gritted her teeth and kept the clenched hand below the table. "I was just making a friendly conversation with him because I didn't have enough time to think about what I wanted to eat and I was—"

"Did you ever actually order?"

"Yes."

"Huh, I missed that part," he stared off at window, although it was so far away. Shadow stretched back and raised an eyebrow at Amy knowingly. "You like him."

"So?" She bit her straw harshly. "What do you care?"

"Never said I did." Shadow sat straight in his seat again and tapped the table with his fingers. "I'm honestly surprised more males don't try and court you though."

Oh, if only he had been looking.

Then he would've dodged the water that spurted out of her mouth. Or he could have waited until she had swallowed before saying anything.

Unfortunately, Shadow had drips of water and her spit—mostly spit—coming down his face. He sighed and wiped it away as Amy whispered an apology. The pink hedgehog stared at the older couple across from them. The old lady pretended not to have noticed Amy spewing water over Shadow.

"Um…Why do you say that?"

"Well, you're not unattractive," Shadow stated bluntly as he finished wiping away the mess. He didn't meet eye contact with her though. Instead, he propped his elbow up on the table and placed his chin in the palm of his hand to look off in the distance. "Then again not the most attractive I've seen—"

"I remember what you said at the school party," Amy gritted her teeth as she interrupted him. She exhaled and then sank down in the booth. "So…" She picked away at the wood on the table. "You think any guys would be interested in me?"

The Ultimate Life Form wanted to roll his eyes so badly. "Did you not just hear what I said about the waiter?"

"So, what should I do?"

"Anything you'd like."

Amy paused and glanced around to make sure Michael wasn't going to show his face any time soon. She twisted back around and slammed her hands on the table, earning nothing but a blink from Shadow and causing the couple beside them to flinch. "You're a male, what should I do to attract him?"

Red eyes gawked at her as if she said pigs could actually fly. "Again. He's already interested. There is no need to attract."

Amy groaned and put her head in her hands. "I'm terrible at this dating thing! It's been forever since I've dated and when I did, it wasn't even dating most of the time. Silver and I went out on two dates total!" She looked for Michael again.

Shadow was starting to like his decision on choosing this restaurant (taking Sonic's suggestion really). He got a dinner and a show.

The lovely Amy Rose, one who had walked the Earth and Mobius with only love on her mind, was now out of ideas on love. She had been so caught up in her work in New York that she had forgotten what it would be like to date. And Shadow knew it for he quickly put the pieces together. It wasn't that hard.

Amy was a hopeless romantic. Also, she was useless.

"I don't think I've seen Amy Rose this a) fixated on something and b) stuck on that certain something." Shadow leered at her.

"What do you know about dating?" Amy scoffed. "I don't even know why I asked _you_."

"I'm offended."

Amy lifted her ears up in hope as she gaped at him. "You dated? What'd you do?"

"I didn't date anyone," Shadow grunted as he folded his arms. "I watched Sonic date. That should make me expert enough."

"How so?"

"Well, if Sonic can get someone, you certainly can."

Despite it being a compliment, Amy didn't see it as one because she'd been there—following Sonic like a lost puppy. "Every girl would love to be with Sonic. Every guy would love to be with someone like Rouge or Blaze. Not me. I became a workaholic before I was fired."

"Really? And you didn't have males flocking around you to be their girlfriend?" Shadow tilted his head in wonder at the naivety of this hedgehog.

"Not that I noticed."

Shadow rolled his eyes this time—there was no holding it back. "If you can't notice anyone wanting to be your boyfriend, how can you possibly have any hope of finding a suitable mate in the future?"

Amy furrowed her eyebrows and leaned back. "No one talks like that anymore, Shadow. The whole mates thing is in our heads as Mobians. In the end, Mobians _are_ animals. We just have human characteristics. The animal instinct thing is just something we get to live with. No one talks about it anymore as if it's important. _Suitable mate_ , whatever. That makes it sound like I'm part of a breeding program."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "I know about animal instincts because _we are_ Mobians, as you so eloquently put it five seconds ago. I was merely using a synonym for spouse."

A blush crept up her cheeks again. Amy bit her lip. "Oh…"

She looked down before glancing up at him. Crimson eyes had wandered off to look at something else. She licked her lips as a thought crossed her mind. It would be awkward to talk about it with him probably, but she didn't know anyone else. Everyone else was together already. They didn't have those animal instincts kick in sometimes.

"Do…Do you ever lose control?"

Shadow looked at her. "Lose control as an animal? Or lose myself in my powers?"

She wanted to just say animal. But the fact that he gave her an option was too much to pass up. "Both, I guess."

"Depends with powers. I've lost myself because of greed and revenge to become Dark Shadow. I've let the power overwhelm me in Super Shadow until I got used to the form. But animalistic-wise…No."

Amy swallowed and looked down at her lap with interest. She could feel his gaze burn through her. She knew the question she had asked was swirling around in his brain, making him wonder if the same was for her.

"You lost yourself with Samwell Turner in the store."

"I think he lost, too."

"No. Samwell does that. He lusts after any vulnerable women. Although I don't know of any crimes he's specifically done, I have heard rumors."

Emerald eyes watched the ebony male cautiously. Shadow continued to stare at her seriously. "What kind of rumors?"

"The kind about innocent lives murdered. After the incident with Samwell and Scourge, and after hearing they were bailed out almost instantly, I asked around town. It was hard at first because no one would speak to me—being Shadow the Hedgehog, after all. But then I wound up in a neighborhood that looked just as bad as I did. Only it was worse."

Amy fidgeted in her seat. She was 86% positive that the older couple, or at least the old wife, was listening to what Shadow had to say just as intently as she was.

"Some people didn't think much of him—they laughed upon hearing his name. Others were frightened. Of course, the rumors could have changed from petty house thieves to bank robbers to drug dealers to mass murderers. But who knows? I don't plan on asking them. Like I said before, if they want a fight—they'll be the ones to make the first move."

"Why?" Amy unexpectedly asked. She had thought not only about what Samwell had said, but also what Shadow had said. "Why are you so adamant on him making the first move?"

"Then it's self-defense," he murmured as he lifted his glass of water to his lips.

Amy sat against the booth again after having leaned towards him for the question. "Do you think Scourge is with him as an occasional companion or as a longtime partner?"

"I don't see Scourge working _for_ or _with_ anyone, especially not Samwell. But if the rumors were true, I wouldn't be surprised if Samwell had some sort of leverage against Scourge to make the bastard stay." Shadow clenched his teeth. "Now shut up."

Amy opened her mouth to speak but Michael turned the corner and set the salads across from them.

"Here we are. Need anything? More water?"

"Yes, please." Amy stated as Shadow nodded in agreement. Michael turned and vanished as the pink hedgehog look down at the salad. Shadow was already digging into his but Amy was hesitant.

She peeked up abruptly. "Thank you."

Shadow slowly chewed the piece of lettuce in his mouth as his eyebrow twitched upwards for the millionth time that day. "Who says I'm not dining and ditching?"

Amy grinned and shook her head. "No, not just the dinner, or the mall, or the movie. I mean…Thank you," her green eyes seemed to stare too tenderly at him. He was barely able to blink. "For everything. You didn't have to accept me—you didn't have to pick me up from the airport. You could've just left me there. But you didn't. So thank you."

"Don't waste your breath," Shadow mumbled as he took a sip of water. "You've said thank you a million times before."

"And I'll say it a million more times," Amy whispered so delicately that it stopped him in his tracks. She stared at him with some type of emotion in her eyes. It was like relief for finally being accepted, but she was holding back.

"I feel like a burden so much still. During the war against Eggman and even now—I've never stopped feeling like this weight crushing down on you all when you've already got so much to deal with. And I just want to say thank you. Again, and again. Even when you get sick of hearing it, I won't stop because of how grateful I am to have incredible people like you and Sonic in my life. And although I'll probably stay a burden, I'm willing to try—"

"Stop."

The pink hedgehog gulped but not in fear. It was more in anticipation because the look Shadow gave her was the softest she had ever seen come from someone like him—especially him.

"You don't need to thank us. Sonic did what he did because he is your friend and will never stop caring for you. I did it because…" Shadow had to pause. He didn't quite know the answer to that. Why hadn't he just walked away? He didn't know. "Because I guess I had nothing better to do. You are not a burden. An annoyance at times, yes, but—"

"You wanted to discourage me though," Amy shook her head. "I was a weight on you and I know it. You wanted nothing to do with me and you probably still don't. I get it though. I mean, I'm terrible at this farming thing and I don't even know what the difference between a windrower and swather-"

This time, she cut herself off. Tears escaped down her cheeks and some people began to notice—specifically the couple next to them.

Shadow sighed tiredly. He didn't want these tears to become a habit of hers.

This female was too damn emotional for him sometimes and it made him uncomfortable. Still, if Sonic spotted the red, puffy eyes that were sure to follow, Shadow would never hear the end of it and not to mention actually lose his hearing.

The blue blur was just too damn loyal to his friends.

"First off, there's no difference between the two, Amy. They're the same thing," Shadow leaned forward and pushed his salad bowl aside. "Second off…You've lost so much confidence in yourself."

"What?" Amy glanced up and sniffled as she wiped away a stray tear.

"Ever since Sonic started dating, you've lost your confidence. You have no problem in believing in others and even though you keep trying and thinking optimistically about things, you seem to have no faith in yourself anymore."

"I do, too!" Amy shouted. The elderly couple glanced their way but Shadow didn't care and neither did Amy. The pink hedgehog clenched her teeth furiously. "I've been trying and trying—that takes confidence!"

"Wrong. You keep trying and you keep failing. With sureness, you wouldn't lose," Shadow growled. "If you have so much confidence in yourself, you wouldn't be here. You'd still have your job. Or you would've never stopped until you got it back or found a new one. The Amy Rose I know wouldn't have quit. But that's what you've become. A quitter. You can't fool me and say you have confidence in yourself—I call bullshit."

Amy squealed in frustration.

The high pitched sound caused almost everyone to turn and look for the source. It was easy to find it too since she stood up.

"You are one to talk, Mister Ultimate Life Form. People look at you with disgust. So you've gone into hiding to not deal with your problems. You've ran away from them because you're a coward! You're scared that they won't give you a chance to live normally! And you should be because you know that even if you tried, _no one could ever love you!"_

Her hand immediately went over her mouth as she gasped. The older couple across from her had the same shocked looks as everyone else in the restaurant. Their waiter surveyed from nearby with cautious eyes.

Shadow was the only stoic one.

He stared up at her, untouched and unfazed. Standing up, the male left without a word. On the outside, he seemed calm. On the inside, he was anything but.

Hurriedly, Shadow escaped the stares that he could've sworn were laughing at him or scowling at him with disgust in slow motion. All those eyes penetrating through him made him want to Chaos Control away.

 _It's all in my head._ He chanted to himself as he stepped outside in the cool air, ignoring the infuriating female calling for him. _It's all in your head._ _You left the city to get away from those looks. They don't faze you. They'll never faze you. You are the Ultimate Life Form._

Shadow bent over and held his knees as Amy ran through the door. "Shadow!" She breathlessly called for him as she stopped beside him hesitantly.

"I'm…I'm sorry."

"That's all you ever say," he growled under his breath. "Thank you and sorry. Do you know anything else besides that?" Red eyes glared down at her as Shadow stood to his full height. "You haven't been criticized, held captive, been used, been tricked, and lost your memory only to be played with like a puppet."

Amy flattened her ears and stared at the cement. She would just let him vent, she decided. It would all be good between them, she reassured herself.

"You haven't saved humanity only to be judged still. I gave you a chance, I got nothing from them," he spat. "Consider yourself lucky, Quitter."

He turned to walk away but her hand caught his arm and tugged him back. Shadow had never seen the green eyes look so apologetic before. It didn't matter though. She had said what she had wanted to. It was out now. She thought the same as the people. "To think you were different," he muttered. "That you could actually care about what I've done for those ungrateful humans—"

"I don't care," Amy interrupted. "I don't care what you did for them. I care what you did for _us_. The humans are rude to you, Shadow." Tears were starting to flow and he fought the urge to roll his eyes. "I didn't mean to say those things…I didn't. You've been loved—you _are_ loved."

He yanked his arm away from her grip and leaned against the bench. Amy watched in silence but not without whispering, "The team loves you, Shadow. We care for you. Even if you don't notice."

His vermillion stare followed the cars along the busy road beside the restaurant. "You're still a quitter," he mumbled.

"I know," Amy murmured as she walked up beside him and stared at all the headlights. She wasn't surprised he had brushed off the team's awareness of him. Shadow had never been one to give away emotions unless they were anger or cruelty. "I just don't want to admit it to myself. I thought I could make it by myself. I thought I could forget about Sonic—and I did. I just…never expected to see him ever again. Any of you guys."

Silence followed. The only thing that made noise was any subtle sounds from the restaurant and the crickets chirping outside beside the snake plants. The two different, yet similar, hedgehogs were quiet for the most part.

Figuring they'd been out there long enough in silence, Shadow glimpsed at her from the corner of his eye. "It seems we both have insecurities."

"The Ultimate Life Form insecure? I think the world just ended."

He ignored her light laugh, but his lips moved slightly up in a smirk. "Let's go home."

"Without dinner?" Amy inquired. Shadow gave her a look. "I mean, not back in the restaurant. Somewhere else."

Shadow started off into the parking lot to find Sonic's truck.

Amy hurried after him. She slowed down to his pace as they walked side by side through the lot. Still starving, Amy glanced up at the wallet-bearer expectantly as the stars began to shine above them.

"I'm thinking a fast food joint."

"Absolutely not."

* * *

 _\- And if I asked you to name all the things that you love, how long would it take for you to name yourself? -_


	9. The Tick

**STH © SEGA**

 **Sarah and Sam © Cozy Shadow**

 **Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _Feel free to check out the log under the schedule for TCG on my profile. I try and update it every day or so to give input on how the chapters are going or if the schedule has been changed and why._

 _Check out my DeviantArt: BlackPetals23! My latest one is what Sarah Hutchington looks like. Sort of. It's a new vs. old look for her and it's not colored yet. …I've been hella busy. XD_

 _I apologize in advance for these hellish chapters. They were a nightmare to write. At times, I was like, 'They're fine.' And other times I was like, 'I need to redo all of them.' But, hey, I got to watch Jurassic World so...I'm good. XD Feeling shitty right now so don't mind me._

 _Thanks to those who reviewed: xXDarkAngelKittenXx, Kosma Bandra, MistyVoid48, The Divines, Pazlet, Admiralkirk, and aliciathewolf45!_

* * *

 **Chapter Nine:**

 **The Tick**

When Amy trudged through the door, she felt somewhat lightheaded and overly tired. At one point, she nearly tripped over the rug as she yanked off her shoes.

As soon as the coat and shoes were off, Amy glanced at the clock on the wall.

 _It's only seven…What…_

The ride home was silent.

Shadow the Hedgehog proved to be difficult. One moment, Amy had insulted him so harshly that it made him hallucinate that the people in the restaurant were actually laughing at him and pointing at him with disgust. The next moment, Amy was apologizing and they were back to normal.

Yup. That made _Shadow_ difficult. Not Amy. _Shadow._

The pink hedgehog was just too stubborn.

Yawning, Amy stretched and peeked over her shoulder as a thought occurred to her. "Do you have a computer?"

"Downstairs," the dark Mobian, hidden in the shadows by the closed door, mumbled as he took off his boots and ignored her.

"Can I borrow it? My laptop needs charged since I forgot to plug it in last time." Surely, there would be another email from Silver or Blaze—or both. And since Amy had time to spare, she decided to check up on the two lovebirds.

Shadow's harsh gaze stared up at her, as if forgetting her apology outside the restaurant and only remembering the harsh words. "You're living here, I don't see why not." He seemed to force the words out of his mouth in a single snap.

Gulping as she rounded the corner, Amy ignored the other lovebirds that were watching a movie. Sarah was curled up next to Sonic (who was practically asleep) and greeted Amy with a slight nod.

The rose hedgehog made her way down the hall—past the bathroom door on the left, Sonic and Sarah's room on the right, the closet after their door, and then…Shadow's on the left. She stopped briefly, wondering again what it looked like inside.

The door was shut firmly and the door next to it was wide open. She took one step sideways and glanced down the dark stairway. Amy took a step of faith down the stairs, searching for the light, and then another.

Shadow's footsteps approached his bedroom door a little hurriedly—no doubt trying to get away from the couple on the couch. "It's on the right when you go down. The dogs are down there in the room to the left. Butch is out of the room though."

Amy listened to his words, but mainly to his movements as his door opened and shut. His voice was gone and his movements now muffled within his bedroom.

 _Butch…That must've been the dog this morning._

The dog that was her personal furnace.

By the time Amy got down to the last step, the dog had already met her halfway. It licked her hand, startling her to shriek. Amy flipped the switch the moment her hand skimmed across it and without a doubt; it was the same dog from earlier.

He sat on the last step as his tail thumped loudly and his tongue hung out. His dark eyes gazed up at her with a loving stare and his black collar was hidden within all his fur. Amy missed it until now.

Patting his head once, Amy left the dog and walked downstairs completely.

The basement had wooden flooring that looked brand new. The walls had a fresh layer of white paint with some lighter wood on the bottom half and trimming of the wall. She was welcomed with that light air feeling and the weird basement smell.

Ahead of her was a door blocked by an old dryer. The dryer upstairs in the laundry room was what Sarah used, but why have two? Amy walked up to it, inspecting it closer.

 _Maybe Shadow just never got around to throwing it out._

But as she glanced around, there was no old washer to match the dryer.

The old dryer was simply blocking the bulky looking, dark mahogany door. Both objects were flush with the wall that was on her left. Turning, Amy spotted a closed door.

Walking timidly over to it, she grasped the bronze doorknob and flinched when the door creaked.

A growl emitted through the air and Amy swallowed heavily—almost shutting the door. But the sight of little puppies sleeping around their mother made her stop.

The mother didn't like it.

She growled and barked once before something upstairs pounded against the floor. Amy glanced up and then back at the dog once the stomps diminished. The female dog put her head down and glimpsed at the ceiling with puppy dog eyes.

This dog was different than Butch.

She was lighter—adorning a tan coat on the front with some brown, a white muzzle and stripe going up her head. Under the tan fur, in the back, her body became brown. She had no white stomach unlike Butch. She had the same dark eyes, but they stared at Amy differently than Butch's did.

They stared at her with a threatening look.

Amy shut the door softly and turned around, taking in the rest of the basement. Two steps and she was back to the stairs on her right. Ahead of her, there were two loveseats, a navy blue hue, and a large TV—bigger than the one upstairs.

All in all, the basement looked better than the living room. It was neater and tidier and the lighting made it homey instead of dark and creepy like Amy figured basements should be. A section of the wall jutted out past the stairs and stopped within a few inches. As soon as Amy walked past it, she heard the familiar hum of a computer.

Twisting to her right, Amy looked at the dark desk and the white computer. The chair was one of those really comfortable ones with a back rest.

Turning on the sleeping computer, Amy slunk down in the chair and sighed happily.

It was only seven-thirty by the time she had the computer up and running. Signing into her email, Amy was oblivious to Butch lying down at her feet, touching her toes with his nose and staring up at her expectantly.

Finally, the email loaded.

 _Five new messages from people. How thoughtful. Two from Blaze. Two from Silver. One from Rouge._

She thought it odd that Rouge would _email._ It wasn't anything new to the bat, but she didn't use it often. She normally called Amy.

Clicking on that first, Amy was excited to see new pictures of the twins, Dexter and Derrick. Mostly, they were dressed in tin foil hats and pretending to be aliens. The boys adored anything alien.

 _Alien themed…even changes. Not even the extra-terrestrial type of alien. The boys have been the best adapters I've seen. They don't judge people while everyone judges them for their crazy alien games or conversations._

Amy exhaled as she clicked through the pictures, resting her cheek on her palm and her elbow on the desk.

 _I bet they'd understand Shadow better than I could._

A ding sounded and Amy jumped, not fully aware that the computer wasn't muted.

She glanced down at the chat box.

 _Silver: Fancy running into you here._

Amy couldn't stop the grin that ran across her muzzle. She bit her lip at the sudden thought of actually talking to one of her closest friends and not having to wait a day for a response.

 _Amy: What time is it there?_

She clicked open the email that Blaze had sent her. More pictures—this time of Rome and other places in Italy.

 _Silver: I have no clue. Honestly, I'm just staying awake. I haven't slept in a few days._

 _Amy: You're crazy loco. Get some sleep._

She laughed to herself as she felt the warmth of talking to a friend—like she had when Rouge had called. The familiarity always seemed to welcome her with open arms. It was like a mother's warmth during a frightening thunderstorm.

It felt good.

 _Silver: Can't. I have a meeting in a couple of hours, no presentation finished yet, and am currently eating breakfast—if that's what you can call it here—even if it's not breakfast time yet._

 _Amy: XD I feel bad for you!_

There was a pause and the computer simply told her, 'Silver is typing…' She continued to look through the pictures Blaze had sent her in the meantime. At least until the ding came again.

 _Silver: How's living in the country? Or should I ask, how's living with two men that constantly called each other 'faker?'_

She chewed on her lip.

What was the answer to that?

Living in the country wasn't too bad, she supposed. It was different falling asleep to quietness instead of cars constantly honking. Amy probably should've been used to it by now, but she wasn't.

 _Amy: Well, falling asleep is a lot more difficult. You'd think it'd be easy since it's so quiet. But the two men you speak of don't exist anymore. They're two entirely different beings now. Even if I can see hints of their old selves…they've changed, Silver._

Butch snorted as his muzzle rested completely on her foot now. She reached down and stroked behind his ear until the familiar sound chimed once more.

 _Silver: You'll get used to it. I wouldn't be missing those damn taxi drivers. ;) As for the boys…_

Another chime.

 _Silver: Is the change for better or for worse?_

Amy bit her nail as she thought about it.

There were so many different answers.

 _Amy: Sometimes both. Sonic is mostly for the better. In fact, I'm not the only girl living here. Sonic's getting married. His girlfriend of three or four years has been living here almost as long as he has—maybe a few months gap, I don't know. It's different to see him settling down. He seems more into it than she does. Her name's Sarah, by the way. She likes her solitude like Shadow, but she's entirely her own._

Another few pictures. Then the other email from Blaze. More pictures. This time of France. The Eiffel Tower, mostly, since Amy knew the feline dreamed of going to Paris.

 _Silver: Wow. Blaze doesn't believe it either. I frankly didn't see Sonic settling down for anyone in a few years. Then again, ten years sneaks up on you fast, don't it? She seems nice. But what about Shadow? Rouge called not long after she spoke to you—sounded like you and he were having difficulties getting along. Rouge is a little worried and Blaze wants you to join us still._

Amy put her legs up and hugged her knees as she typed.

 _Amy: …What about you?_

 _Silver: I'm waiting to hear what you have to say._

 _Amy: …_

The pink hedgehog sat there, pondering over the question.

What about Shadow?

Oh, she was sure she could write a novel about him—how rude he was, how unpredictable he was, how he was sometimes actually caring for a split second—the list went on.

But what to say honestly was completely different from sugarcoating. If she made it sound like Shadow was a pain, Silver would tell Blaze and Blaze would make Amy meet them in Europe. At least her stay hadn't been too bad. Mostly.

 _Amy: He's different, I'll admit. I'm still wondering how on Earth he and Sonic became housemates. I don't exactly want to ask right now while I'm still settling in. Lots of stuff has happened and yet…not. It's kind of a boring lifestyle—but then again, I guess it's because I'm jobless. Still, Shadow and Sonic seem to have the peaceful life. Quiet, boring, and yet peaceful. They seem happy. Well, as happy as Shadow the Hedgehog gets._

 _Amy: I just don't get him, though. At first, he was discouraging me. Didn't believe I could be a farmer. Pegged me as a city girl that would always remain that way. And then, he apologized. Not thirty minutes after Rouge hung up actually. And yet, it still seems we're fighting each other. I'll admit, I regret some things I said (in public no less) to him. It's not his fault that he's deemed as a monster…okay, well maybe some of it is. I mean, he's not a saint. His past decisions were a little reckless and uncaring for the world. Yet he always came through._

 _Amy: I'm just worried that if Sonic and Sarah leave, I'll be alone with Shadow. They keep telling me that I'll open up to him and vice versa, but I don't see that happening. "I have to find what makes us tick," as Rouge so eloquently put it. I don't see Shadow and I ever "ticking" though. Unless we were a time bomb._

Cracking her fingers, Amy glanced down at Butch. He was asleep now, or at least looked the part. Amy turned back to the pictures as she waited for Silver respond to the rather long chat. Normally, they would just joke with each other in short simple sentences.

So it made the five minute wait a living hell for Amy.

 _Silver: It wouldn't hurt to start looking for that job, Ames. It probably wouldn't hurt either of them to ask how in the hell they became housemates too. It seems like quite a story. As for the harsh words…You at least apologized to him, right? His actions, bad or good, have ever only been because of humanity. They started it by claiming he was something disastrous and they followed up on their words by taking the one important person from his life. He has a reason to hate society._

 _Silver: Those people today only know stories, talked down the family tree and changed to make Shadow seem like some monster out of Hell. I understand why he left for the country if it's such a quiet, peaceful life. I'm happy for him actually. We saw how he was in the city. Everyone that wasn't the team or Mobian shunned him immediately. One person threw a milkshake at him for Christ's sake. You weren't there, but I remember it clearly—Sonic was there too._

 _Silver: It wouldn't surprise me if Sonic intentionally followed Shadow around to make sure he was safe. Four years together in a house? Knowing those two, they're either secretly brothers now or they would've never made it out alive for four years._

 _Silver: If it scares you that much to be with Shadow alone, you're always welcome to meet up with Blaze and I. She's actually pushing it more than ever now as she reads this (that breathing on my neck was thankfully not a ghost). As for getting along with Shadow, we can't help you there. Rouge is right. You have to figure out what makes you two tick. I'm sure if you lay low, do what he says, and get on his good side, you can become his friend._

Green eyes tiredly read the words. Almost eight o' clock. Would it be weird if she went to bed early?

 _Amy: What if we don't tick as friends? What if we're just too opposite that we repel each other like this forever? I try and get along with him but he's so unpredictable and uncooperative at times that it's like walking on thin ice._

She pressed send as thoughts consumed her.

What if Sarah and Sonic moved out and she and Shadow got into a bigger fight? What if things got physical? What if…So many 'what if's' crept through into her spinning brain that Amy couldn't think fast enough to answer them all.

She waited for what felt like an eternity.

Then the ding came and her eyes rested upon the computer screen to see the last words she thought her best friend would ever tell her.

 _Silver: Then maybe you two tick as something more._

* * *

"So…"

Shadow glared at the mirror as he brushed his teeth. Fortunately, he had gotten home and was about to rest his head for a few hours. It was eight o' clock after he had gotten out of the relaxing shower that calmed his nerves and eased the stress.

Unfortunately, Sonic the Damn Hedgehog woke up.

"So, what?"

He placed the toothbrush in its container, cursing that he hadn't locked his bedroom door like usual. But he had kept it unlocked in case Amy needed help with anything downstairs—especially since Shia barked.

The last thing Shadow wanted was for _Sonic_ to walk in and start pestering him on how their day went.

"I don't know about you, but I'm thinkin' Miss Rose looks like a pretty good match for you."

Shadow wanted to roll his eyes. He wanted to tell Sonic of the restaurant incident but every time he thought of it…those laughing people came to his mind. He had to remind himself that he had only imagined it. It didn't change the fact that Amy's words were truth enough to make him physically leave the situation.

It wasn't like him.

He didn't want to run away from all those looks of shock. Because behind those stunned expressions, those people were thinking the exact thing Amy had said.

Shadow had never wanted to be a part of society. He never wanted to be considered like _them._

But the more he was placed as an outcast and the more someone from the Sonic team spoke kind words to him, the more he craved it. The more he _needed_ someone to tell him that he wasn't crazy.

He wasn't a monster.

Those words coming from someone else would make him hang on a bit longer. They would make him stronger and remind him that it didn't matter what the humans thought. The humans weren't just the majority anymore. Mobians had claimed Earth their home, too. Adapting to the lives of humans while also making it their own.

Mobians.

Some actually thanked Shadow. It was a once in a blue moon event, but never did any Mobians give him looks of disgust. Except for maybe enemies like Samwell Turner or Scourge. But Mobians were the only ones not judging him. And the Sonic heroes were the only ones that ever apologized for what others had said.

Amy was the first to apologize for judging him. What made the matter even more different was that she had fought alongside Shadow.

He _knew_ her. Or at least thought he had.

He had thought he had Amy Rose all figured out by the time the group left. She was a crazy fangirl in love with Sonic. While the two years the team had spent together in the city had changed a few things, Shadow had never pictured her to be this…intriguing.

"Not to be a buzzkill or anything but," Shadow shut off the bathroom light and walked around Sonic, "…that's not going to happen even if either of us wanted it to."

"Why not?" Sonic snorted as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Amy's good for you."

"No." Shadow grabbed his pillow as he made his bed. "Even she thinks I'm a monster…"

Sonic's features softened as he grabbed the end of Shadow's bed. "What are you talking about?" The look the blue blur gave became harsh and protective. He never thought Amy would do something so harsh to Shadow.

Even she should know that it was beginning to become Shadow's weakness. Being judged and having to live with it. Getting kindness from his only friends—oh, how few those were becoming. Secretly wanting that attention like any other outcast would.

After all, no one truly wanted to be alone forever.

"She apologized," Shadow murmured in concentration. "No one ever spoke their feelings and apologized for them before. It's always been someone else excusing them."

Sonic tilted his ear. _Why in the world does he sound curious about the situation?_

"No one's done that before?"

Shadow nodded his head slightly in confirmation as he thumbed the edge of the pillow case. He smirked down at the dark bed. "She's an odd little one, isn't she? So complicated to read."

Sonic shared the light grin. "Yeah. But she apologized. That's what makes her Amy."

Widened eyes by a fraction, Shadow glanced over at Sonic. _He's right. No one but Amy would've apologized. No one but Amy would've snapped in the first place. Even then, Rouge probably wouldn't have apologized so quickly._

"So," Sonic stood straighter. "I think there's more to this story than meets the eye."

He raised a questioning eyebrow.

The cobalt male continued, "If Amy apologized then she doesn't think you're a monster. Chances are you said something that offended her. It's what women do. When you want to talk to them, tread lightly. When you want to talk to them during that time of the month, bring a weapon and some backup until they're outnumbered."

Sonic placed his hands loosely in the pocket of his large hoodie that was a pain to get on. Shadow mulled the first part over and ignored the last part.

"And your point?"

"Amy likes you."

…

…

…

Shadow wasn't sure if it was Sonic's lazy cat grin that made him blink in astonishment or if it his tone or his choice of words. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, you _like_ her!" Sonic sang. Shadow tried to catch himself before he fell over his own words.

"I do not."

"Hey, I wasn't specific. I'm saying Amy at least likes you as a friend. By your response, you actually considered being something more than just friends with her." Sonic winked as he pointed at Shadow. "Admit it, I got'cha."

"Quite the opposite." Shadow folded his arms and stuck his nose in the air. "Now get out."

"No." Sonic sat down on Shadow's bed to make his point. "We're talking. It would be rude if I left in the middle of a conversation."

"Please do."

"Now, since you're open to dating—"

"I am not. Now just leave."

"—I'll be more than willing to help. I am getting married after all. Don't worry though. You're quite the looker so it won't take long for Amy to fall for you. Now it's your attitude that can be adjusted—"

" _Sonic._ Leave. Now."

"—Tut, tut. Don't interrupt the teacher. Now, you've already done some things to make her softer towards you."

Shadow was about to tell Sonic to leave again but stopped. What nice things? Amy was soft towards him? Since when were either of those two things true? "What are you talking about?"

"There's your jacket that you don't share with _anyone._ Every time she walks in from feeding the animals, she's wearing that thing."

"She grabs it before I can," Shadow growled.

Sonic scoffed in disbelief. "Trust me, I asked. She said she was cold and you _willingly_ gave her _your_ jacket to _wear_. That's definitely not like you but good job. You're about ninety-nine thousand more steps from winning the girl's heart."

"It's not _every day._ And I only did it because she wouldn't stop chattering her teeth like an idiotic beaver with no tree. I am not _interested_."

"Well, you're not exactly open to her—that could be worked on. You're kind of a douche."

Shadow snarled under his breath. "Stop it. Go away."

"You complimented the way she looked at the Valentine's Day party at the school. So, that kind of confirms my thought that you were interested in the way she looked."

"I've seen better—"

"And we all know that's a lie. You never get out," Sonic snorted. "Unless you're talking about any of the Wilson girls, who are human, then you were obviously lying to cover up your open comment."

"I was not."

"You know what I think?"

Shadow snapped and growled, twisting towards Sonic while also looking back at the door and trying to think of a way to get the blue nuisance out of his room. " _What?"_ He hissed as he walked closer to Sonic until the two were inches apart. " _What do you think_?"

Sonic only smirked. And that was how Shadow knew that the hero had cornered him.

"I think you don't know what to do with your feelings."

With that, Sonic walked to the door and opened it. He turned to peek at Shadow one last time before returning back to his fiancée.

"I'm not saying you have a crush on her, Shadow. I'm simply saying that she waltzed in and you didn't know how to react. So, the walls around you came up and you became cold as ice. And I know for a fact, that there's a better person under that thick surface. But if you keep making people fight to see the good you, eventually they'll stop trying."

"What are you suggesting?" his lowly asked. Shadow didn't really want to know, but he was slightly curious.

Getting along with Amy sounded nice.

It was obvious she was staying with them for as long as possible. And Shadow figured being a good host was the least he could do—was the least he could've done from the start.

Sonic gave him a soft smile of encouragement. "Meet her halfway."

* * *

 _What am I doing?_

With each step down the stairs, his eyelids became heavy and his brain kept yelling at him. But for some reason, Shadow couldn't help but see what all the fuss was about in the basement.

It'd been silent since he had gotten out of the shower, talked with Sonic, and mulled Sonic's words over a glass of water. Then, as he was going to escape into the cave of his bedroom, he heard it.

Laughter.

 _What could possibly be going on down here?_

Part of Shadow told him to march back up the steps and go to bed. Another part of him told him to check it out.

 _Plus, if I want to start actually meeting Amy halfway, I might as well do it now. Though she'll probably do something to annoy me, at least I'm trying. Still…_

He paused seven steps in. Only a couple more to go and then he would be in the basement and most likely intruding.

… _It would be easier to ignore her._

 _But she's staying for a while—she's made that clear by being so comfortable here. So, I can't possibly ignore her, especially if Sonic and Sarah move out._

 _I could just kick her out after Sonic and Sarah leave though…_

 _But that would be harsh. She's done nothing wrong without apologizing for it. I shouldn't be quick to judge her and try to kick her out when she's jobless. That would make me even more of an asshole than I already am._

He sighed heavily and took the last few steps. Comfy socks hit the new wooden floor and he glanced to the right.

Amy laughed lightly to herself as she was curled up against the chair, her knees to her chest. She grinned at whatever was on the screen.

Going further, Shadow tried to stop himself.

Wasn't this rude? Wasn't there some privacy between housemates?

Still, her random laughter caught him off guard. So, he leaned up against the wall and, discreetly as possible, watched her.

He didn't get very far because the movement caught her eye.

Apparently, he wasn't discreet enough.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Amy froze and was left to stare at Shadow with wide, frightened eyes. Running footsteps hurried through the hallway and down the stairs. The ebony male was stiff and stayed to his spot against the wall.

"Amy? Are you all right?"

"Ames! Talk to me, girl! Have you been shot?!"

"Sonic, she hasn't been shot."

Then the blue blur skidded into view and glimpsed from Shadow to Amy. His posture relaxed and he sighed out of relief. "It's okay, Sarah! No need to worry so much!"

Sarah padded down and scoffed. "Yeah, I was about to call 911," she sarcastically responded.

"Shadow was just stalking Amy."

The Ultimate Life Form rolled his eyes. "I was not, Sonic. Don't be ridiculous. She was being loud, so I was coming down here to see what the hubbub was about."

"Hubbub…" Sonic stared blankly at him. "That's the word you chose?"

Shadow glowered at him from the corner of his eye. He stopped to stare at Amy gingerly. "Are you alright?"

"Besides you freaking her out—"

Sarah didn't make it down the last step by the time Sonic zipped over and clamped her mouth shut with his hand.

"Shhh, Sarah! They're having a moment!" Sonic whispered rather noisily.

Shadow groaned and wanted to either face palm or punch the nuisance. Why? Why did he have to deal with Sonic the Hedgehog out of all people?

Amy blinked continuously and shook off her nerves. "I'm fine, Shadow. Just…next time, warn me, will ya?"

He huffed and took a place on the couch facing towards the TV. The other was on the side wall. And Sonic grinned evilly when he noticed. "Hey…You guys want to watch a movie down here?"

"But you're watching one up there," Amy stated as she typed on the computer. "And I'm talking to Silver—"

"A little late to be flirting, Ames," Sonic teased.

"And _Blaze_."

Sonic pushed his fiancée softly towards the free couch. Sarah was a walking zombie but eventually collapsed on the soft sofa. The blue hedgehog grinned.

 _Two down, one more to go._

"C'mon!" Sonic swiveled the chair so Amy was facing them. "You can talk to them whenever!"

"And I can watch a movie with you guys whenever." Amy grabbed the desk and turned back around. "But I choose to talk to Silver and Blaze right now."

She wasn't sure why Shadow and Sarah were both eerily silent. But they knew. Shadow saw the plan forming in Sonic's head and Sarah noticed it too. While the ebony hedgehog wanted to retort, he knew he would never make it past the third step of the stairs if he tried to leave.

And Sarah didn't really care.

The lime green female still didn't see Amy and Shadow together, so it was rather humorous to watch her husband-to-be try and get them closer. It was a doomed plan to begin with, but had its moments where Sarah actually thought Sonic might be able to do it.

But Sonic had to realize that Amy and Shadow weren't just objects that he could place together and keep that way. They were two _very different_ living beings with different views on the world and opinions of each other.

The chances of them being romantically involved seemed low to Sarah.

Apparently, to Sonic, they were super-duper high.

"Ames, you're killing me!" Sonic complained, landing on his knees and clasping his hands on her lap. He stared up at her with the worst attempt of puppy dog eyes the universe had ever seen. "Please…We all want to spend quality time with you, Amy."

She sat there for a good minute, pondering it over.

"…Fine."

"Yes!" Sonic flashed over to Sarah and took up the rest of the space on the loveseat. He motioned over at Shadow. "You get to sit with him though."

"Why can't I sit here?"

"Because that would be insulting Shadow."

"I already watched a movie with him today."

"Did you sit together?"

Amy confusedly looked at the cobalt male. "Well…Yeah. So?"

"Then you can sit together now." Sonic grabbed the remote that rested on one of the wooden stands by the couches and turned the TV on. "Any idea of what movie we should watch?"

"One with humor," Sarah mumbled against the couch. "And action."

"Romance," Amy droned. "I've had enough of humor and action."

"How about deceit?" Shadow glared at Sonic with such menace that it could've put the blue blur six feet under. "Or lies?"

" _The Princess Bride_ it is!" Sonic sat up. He got the movie from upstairs, put it in, and pressed Menu within a few seconds.

Amy had moved to the couch and was slumped down with her arms across her chest. She couldn't talk to Blaze or Silver anymore—she had to say goodbye and shut off the computer. To make matters worse, she had to sit with Shadow.

He still seemed to be angry with her despite her apology.

So, she cuddled up with the blanket that had been on the back of the couch and pretended like Shadow didn't exist. Still, her thoughts existed very much so.

 _I wonder if he really is angry with me still…I apologized…_

Sudden fear struck through her. _What if he throws me out? It might not be now but what if he kicks me out tomorrow morning or when Sonic and Sarah leave? I'll be homeless…But I deserve it._

Bringing the blanket up to her some more, she even wrapped it around her cheeks. Though she wanted to hang it over her head too and create a cocoon, she didn't. She just held the tears in.

 _I can't believe I said those things…The moment those words slipped out of my mouth—Ugh. I can't bear to think about it. And his face. It was so calm._

 _I expected him to shout or punch me through the wall. Instead, he just sat there for a second and then walked out of the restaurant. He didn't even get to eat the food he ordered. We ended up eating at a diner that wasn't as good._

 _I ruined everything. Just when it was our "burying the hatchet" moment, I decided to get all defensive and make him feel like a complete waste of space._

Amy closed her eyes tightly and wished for sleep to overwhelm her. It would make things simpler on her part. She wouldn't have to think about Shadow or the cruel words she had said that kept ringing through her ears.

Was Shadow thinking about the scene too? Was it replaying through his brain, haunting him over and over again?

 _I hope not. He doesn't deserve it. Silver's right._

Thinking about the white hedgehog, Amy glanced over at Shadow.

' _Then maybe you two tick as something more.'_

 _Oh, be realistic, Silver. Shadow and I are completely opposite. Even if you think opposites attract, Silver, you're dead wrong in our case. There is no way on Earth or Mobius combined that we would end up together._

She snorted as she lazily looked at the TV screen. Just the thought of _dating_ Shadow the Hedgehog made her…Well, it made her…

Amy frowned lowly. She didn't feel anything.

She didn't feel disgusted by the thought of dating him. She didn't feel like she was about to hurl. She felt neutral about the idea.

Calm.

 _That_ made her sick to her stomach. But the notion of dating the person next to her left her feeling nothing—like she couldn't decide but wasn't thinking about it either.

 _He's never dated. He openly admitted it. He just thinks he's some guru on dating because he's watched Sarah and Sonic for nearly four years. If he ever did date, I doubt he'd get far. I mean, c'mon._ She rolled her eyes mentally as the trio around her was oblivious.

 _Holding hands. Would he feel comfortable doing that? Hugging. I've never seen him hug anyone in my entire life of knowing him. They're just more or less…in his grasp. Cuddling. That's one more step from hugging and far more intimate. Would he even allow himself to do that?_

 _Kissing._ Green eyes wandered to her right, where the male counterpart was leaning away from her and glancing at the stairs. _I wonder if the Ultimate Life Form is a great kisser. I had to teach Silver._ She smugly grinned under the blanket at the memory. She always figured her to be the better kisser and her best friend had agreed.

 _But I wonder if I would need to teach Shadow. Or if he'd actually be good at something intimate._

Her cheeks blushed profusely at a sudden thought. _Sex. Oh, God. If he's never dated and he doesn't get out much, there's a high possibility that Shadow the Hedgehog is a virgin._

Just the thought made her snort in laughter. Sarah gave her a questioning look since the movie wasn't at a part that was exactly hilarious just yet but decided to ignore the crazy pink female anyway.

Amy frowned suddenly, though no one could see it. She peeked once more at Shadow. _He's so lonely. Maybe he should date. Not me, of course. That would never happen. We're not even attracted to one another in the slightest way. I mean, sure, his eyes are pretty interesting to look at and his body's definitely shaped—_

The muscles that had been gained were suddenly more noticeable to the pink hedgehog. She swallowed slowly and heavily before turning her head forcefully back to the screen.

 _Okay, so, Shadow's a looker. Why shouldn't he date? Well, his attitude for one. He's sort of blunt still, which could cause more arguments. I mean, I still regret the things I said to him in the restaurant, but if he ever wants to follow in Sonic's footprints and find a girl, he's got to be less judgmental. I didn't like my low self-esteem pointed out in public. I know that old woman was listening._

 _The last thing I need is another person to judge me._

She glared at nothing in particular but her gaze softened upon rethinking her thoughts.

 _No._

 _That's the last thing Shadow needs._

~.~

The movie kept going, but Sarah knew it by heart. Sonic only knew the more famous quotes but he didn't care for them this time around. He was focused on making sure that Shadow stayed put.

Sarah was rather happy to see that the two were seated together because that meant Sonic was happy. That and Sarah got to watch one of her favorite movies, bundled up in warm blankets.

The next best thing would be if hot chocolate were involved.

Sonic was still too busy keeping track of the two on the other loveseat. He wasn't surprised to see Amy fully asleep in an awkward position by the time they were halfway through the movie. He was shocked; however, that Shadow hadn't escaped.

 _He must know I'd drag his ass back down here even if it killed me._

Okay, Sonic probably wouldn't have tried _that_ hard. Still, he was relieved to see that Shadow remained seated.

Shadow couldn't care less about Amy or the movie. He was more or less eyeing the stairs.

Boredom glazed eyes watched the movie. His palm was the only thing keeping his head from sinking any further. The blanket that had rested on the back of the couch was on the pink hedgehog next to him so he had no comfort whatsoever.

And those stairs were teasing him.

 _I just have to make it a bit further…_

He yawned as his eyelids drooped a great amount.

 _But I don't think I'll make it up the stairs without falling asleep._

The movie continued and he was left to slowly lean further and further into the palm of his hand. His eyelids were shut completely within a few seconds.

 _I'll just rest my eyes for a quick second. Then I'll go to bed._

All the while, Sonic smirked as he watched Shadow end up in the same boat as Amy.

The blue hedgehog still had his evil plan up his sleeve, but decided against meddling with the two while they slept. After all, he had his fiancée leaning against him.

"Don't."

His smirk grew wider. "I wasn't going to do anything."

"Not even move Amy closer to him so when they wake up, they find themselves in each other's arms?"

Sonic's gears sparked at her notion. He brought his hand to his chin in concentration, "No, but thanks for the idea."

" _Sonic."_


	10. The Real Monster

**STH © SEGA**

 **Sarah and Sam © Cozy Shadow**

 **Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _This…I can't even say anything for this chapter because this batch itself was a fucking nightmare to write. I apologize, readers. I'm still having mixed feelings about these chapters but it feels right. And if not...I can just make another redo in two years. XD Jk_

* * *

 **Chapter Ten:**

 **The Real Monster**

Turns out, Shadow and Amy didn't need Sonic to move them closer together.

While Shadow hardly ever moved in his sleep, he failed to think about the consequences of falling asleep next to Amy Rose. She _constantly_ moved.

So, if anyone knew that Amy moved a lot, it wouldn't be strange to see her sprawled out on the couch. The blanket rested over her and her legs dangled over the side. Her nose buried into Shadow's side and his arm hung over her head.

Yup, the sight wouldn't have been weird.

But three of the house members didn't know that Amy moved a lot (it was surprising she hadn't fallen off the couch yet). And Amy was still asleep and probably didn't think she would move around upon shutting her eyes last night.

The basement didn't have windows, so the light never came in that Tuesday morning. But Sonic had smartly turned on his phone for an alarm to wake Sarah up for her job at school. It was almost seven and she was getting ready upstairs—leaving Sonic to watch the humorous display before him.

Looking at the two on the loveseat, Sonic gently smiled.

 _They actually look calm and peaceful right now…Like an actual couple. I don't see why not. I mean, they've got their differences but those can be worked with and molded if need be. But they also have more similarities than they see._

He watched them still.

 _At least I think they do._

~.~

A headache. That's what Shadow woke up with.

 _I knew I should've gone upstairs...Every time I stay down here for the night, my throat hurts and I get a stuffy nose. Ever since the portal that got us to Earth, I've been able to get sick._

 _It's terrible. How do the normal people do it? Even Sonic catches a cold once in a while._

 _But when I catch a cold…I can't heal quickly anymore. Damn portal just had to ruin everything._

At least it'd gotten them to Earth. Or none of them would've survived the destruction that followed on Mobius.

Shadow exhaled through his nose, noticing his palm wasn't holding his head up anymore. Instead, he was slouched down even further—something under his left arm while his right felt numb and squished up against the couch and his side.

Red eyes tiredly glanced to the left.

Blinking awake, Shadow gawked at the lifeform that dared to snuggle up against him.

No one snuggled up against Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow the Hedgehog snuggled up against you—if he truly wanted to, which he didn't. So, he never did snuggle. Or cuddle. Or any other term of being _close_ to someone like this.

Amy seemed to be content though.

He lifted his arm off her head and looked up, noticing feet in his peripheral. Sonic stared with a smug look and his arms crossed against his chest. Shadow growled lowly and immediately regretted it. Amy made some sort of whining noise, neither male was sure, and curled up into a ball. She pressed harder against Shadow, lifting her snout onto his bare stomach and tilting her head sideways to continue leaning against his frame.

Shadow gulped as his arm was continuously raised.

Where the hell was he supposed to put it?

He didn't want to wake her up. She seemed pretty happy. And if she woke up angry like the first night…Shadow didn't want to deal with that again. They were already so close— _literally._

Her left hand was curled up towards her face and touching his bare side. He regretted only wearing pajama pants, but he hated the pajama shirt unless it was winter. His bedroom was the coldest in the house during the winters and the hottest during the summers. It was spring. Ish.

Why the hell didn't he wear his pajama shirt?

Sonic was still watching with that cocky grin on his face. Shadow didn't want to think about him though. He had to deal with the female up against him first.

 _Maybe I could move her without waking her up._

Shadow stared down at the pink hedgehog. She seemed so tiny against his bigger self. Not to mention she was curled up in a ball.

 _Okay. I can't move because her head would move and she'd wake up. So I have to move her first._

The Ultimate Life Form saw no way to do it though.

 _Unless I just flung her to the other side, make a run for it, and blame it on Sonic if she wakes up angry._

Staring at her still, he liked the idea.

 _That could work._

* * *

"Was not how I wanted to wake up this morning…" Amy droned as her quills stuck out and she listened to Sonic's side of the story. "He really flung me?"

"Like you were a giant spider."

"Huh…" Amy took a bite of her cereal. "Where's Sarah?"

"Left. But she is coming to pick you up after school."

Amy gave the blue blur a confused look as he ambled around the kitchen, looking for something other than cereal to eat. Shadow was still hiding, or possibly asleep in his own bed. Sonic had already fed the animals.

Sonic saw the questioning gaze, "Something about a dress for you."

"Doesn't she have other bridesmaids?" Amy inquired with a little curiosity. It seemed odd if they went shopping solely for Amy. "I mean, her college friends aren't. No one else?"

"The only other female she talks to who's actually organized and helpful is heavily pregnant," Sonic explained while he leaned up against the counter. "She decided against making the pregnant woman feel fatter."

"Okay…So just me?"

"Yep."

"This is going to be awkward," Amy groaned. "I mean, I like her. But I always feel a little out of place when I'm shopping for myself. Now I'll have her looking at me too."

"If it makes you feel any better, Shadow and I can come," Sonic grinned mischievously. "I get off work at five, but I can leave earlier. It's not busy anyway—no farming means no one's broken down, which means they don't need parts, which means I get to relax. Might as well close shop up early and make you feel better about yourself."

"It's not that I don't think I have a good body," Amy scoffed. There was a silence between the two. "Okay, it's a little about that. But it's always with so many eyes watching me. I don't know how I'm going to walk down the aisle when I get married."

"Sarah said that too. So many eyes watching her. She's always been a little self-conscious about her body though," Sonic shrugged it off. "You two have nothing to fear. I'll trip down the aisle when I escort you, Miss Rose. So everyone will look at me. Then you make a dash towards your future hubby. But don't trip or we'll just cause a chaotic mess."

Amy rolled her eyes, "Yeah, right. What about Sarah walking down the aisle?"

"I'll just push the pastor gently enough so he'll fall and cause a distraction."

"You're full of ideas." Amy looked out one of the only windows in the cozy kitchen and sighed. "Then what do I do for now?"

"Go back to sleep, watch TV, or plot Shadow's murder. Whichever. But if you plan to do the latter, make sure you figure out how to get into his bank account. The guy's loaded."

Amy scoffed and raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"No. He doesn't trust banks," Sonic concentrated deeper as he stared off into the distance. "But he's been getting a lot of money from the government. Technically, he saved it all up after we saved the planet. I spent most of mine on chilidogs."

"Did you really?"

"Of course not, Ames. What type of person do you take me to be? Nah, I just traveled a bit after the group split. Tails found a job out here as a crop duster pilot. Mom thought Sawyer was a little under populated for her taste so she moved to town. Sonia and Manic went to the nearby college and I caught up with them. Lived with them for a while but I liked the solitude, quiet life out here better. Didn't want to intrude on Tails so I stayed at the motel until it shut down."

"How'd you get to Shadow?"

Sonic sniffed and rubbed his nose. He squinted in thought. "…Hm…Well, I knew he was already out there. Tails suggested the place to him. When I went to travel, places like South America, I asked Tails to keep tabs on Shadow. I didn't want the guy to fall down a well or anything. Never thought Tails would actually suggest Sawyer though. It's good for Shadow, however. The quietness."

He stared at Amy with more seriousness than she had seen from him the entire time she'd been there at their house. "Shadow needs this place. It helped define him. Plus, the farmers around here didn't know who he was at first. Then they just saw him as a hero—like he should've been noticed from the start. The Wilsons were especially nice to him."

"The Wilsons?"

"Big family. They own a lot of land and cattle. The only humans to ever actually give Shadow a chance, despite what he over-exaggerates about, are the humans in this town. The Wilson's family name goes on for generations—they were one of the first settlers in the valley back in the late 1800's. They gave Shadow the land around the house. The house originally was owned by someone else. They didn't farm the land around the house though; they just worked for the Wilsons."

"So why didn't Shadow rent it out?"

"He would've needed help either way, but he likes to do stuff alone. You and I both know that. And so did the Wilsons. Frank Wilson—nice old man—saw it immediately and just offered a cheap price to Shadow. He took it. Within the fourth year the gang had split, he had finally found a home."

Amy shook her head in confusion. "Wait. He's been here for four years, right? And the gang split eight years ago. What'd he do the first four years?"

Sonic only shrugged. Amy frowned and narrowed her eyebrows. "I thought you said Tails kept tabs on him."

"He was around, Amy. The important thing was that he was still alive."

Her eyes widened a fraction. "You didn't think he would kill himself, did you?"

"At times…" Sonic looked away with a look of pity. "You have no clue, Ames. You never saw his face when he was the only one of us to be treated like a villain. Two years—two goddamn years and humanity was so rude to him. At first, it didn't affect him. But then…I remember, one time. We were just dropping by somewhere in Chicago to eat. And these humans come up—adults, mind you—they come up to us and thank us. I was with Shadow, Silver, and Knuckles."

Sonic shook his head as if the memory pained him. "They looked us each in the eye to thank us. About five of them. The last one, some lady, just turned to Shadow and spat in his face." The blue blur closed his eyes, which Amy thought had been watering. "I never saw him heartbroken—still haven't. But I know that's the closest to heartbroken he's gotten. I don't know if I could've lived with that. To be treated like scum when you saved their lives."

Green eyes stared into a darker shade. "We'll never know what he went through. We'll never be able to feel the same, miserable way he had. But the important thing is that he's content here. With people who like him and support him—like the Wilsons, Sarah, me, and you. We are so lucky compared to Shadow. We have so many people who will stop and thank us. He only has us. Even if he won't ever admit it, I know he cares."

Amy swallowed as Sonic leaned fully against the counter, tilting away from her now. She sat back in her seat and contemplated before speaking. "I said some mean things…"

"I heard. You apologized."

"He…" Amy bit her lip in embarrassment as her ears flapped back against her head. "He told you? Was he angry with me? Is he going to kick me out?" The questions piled out before she could stop them, worry laced through her tone.

Sonic cracked a small grin as he shook his head softly once more. "No, Amy. If anything, he was intrigued that someone apologized for their own rude actions towards him. Apparently, no one's done that. It's always one of us apologizing for someone else's words."

"So…He's going to let me stay?" Amy whispered.

"Yeah." Sonic stared at her completely and offered her an encouraging smile. "Yeah, kid, don't worry. You're staying."

Tears prickled her eyes. "I shouldn't have said those things."

Amy collapsed against the counter after moving her cereal bowl to the side. Her shoulders heaved as she cried harder than ever before. The feelings she had kept bottled up were out now. It didn't take long to show them either.

"I hated myself the second those words came out. He's done nothing wrong, Sonic. _Nothing_. And even _I_ treated him like garbage."

Sonic rubbed her back soothingly after he made his way around to her side of the kitchen table. He scooted the bowl even further away as Amy poured out her emotions.

"He was such a jerk though…" Amy whispered as she lifted her head. She shook her head. "But he was never a monster. A monster would hurt people. He never hurt me. He would never hurt me. But I hurt him. I feel like I just reopened his biggest scar, if not made it bigger. _I'm_ the monster."

"Amy, you are no such thing. Don't talk like that. If anyone's the monster, it's humanity," Sonic reprimanded gently as he continued to rub circles. "He's forgiven you, hasn't he?"

Another cry. "I don't know. He shouldn't, though. Why? _Why?!"_ Amy shrieked against the counter table. "Why did I have to say that?! Why did I have to be like _them_?!"

She sat up a bit more and coughed as she nearly choked on her spit. Her eyes were red and puffy from both crying and just waking up. Her nose was runny now. And all she could think about was Shadow.

Unfair. That's what she had been. Ungrateful. That was all she seemed like to him. Amy was sure of it. Shadow had his own issues. And the rose hedgehog hated herself for coming in unannounced. It made her sick to her stomach.

"He never got to live like the humans—like _us._ Now, when he's finally got a chance to…When he finally got comfortable. I waltzed in without permission and threw it back in his face—that the majority of society doesn't like him." Her tears never stopped but they were dying slowly. Sonic could only rub her back like a parent letting their child vent. "Why do I ruin everything?"

"You don't."

"I do. I really do."

"Amy—"

She choked back another sob and hiccupped. "I ruined my career, my life, and now I'm moving on to making others' lives a living hell. I'm no better than what society thinks of him. But Shadow will always be better than me at heart…"

"Amy. Stop. You haven't ruined your life. You've just pressed pause. And you're not ruining Shadow's life or anybody else's." Sonic grabbed her chin so she looked up at him. "You're staying, Ames. That much I do know. Like you said. Shadow wouldn't hurt you. Because you and I both know that he's not a monster."

For what felt like the millionth time, Amy collapsed against something and continued to cry. Only this time, it was a living being. And the hug felt nice after so long. However, it never stopped the tears until she was fully dry of them.

It made listening to those tears all the more difficult for Sonic as he held her.

As a hero and a male, he should've held the lone tear in. But he couldn't.

He let it slide.

Because even though he would never know how Amy or Shadow felt, watching them sink to the lowest point was sometimes just as hard.

But there was one who held the tears in.

On the other side of the doorway, he remained passive, but Shadow felt something he hadn't in a long time. An emotion that developed as Amy's words rammed into him and as her tears made his headache worse.

An emotion that made him want to console her. A feeling that proved he _cared_ about what people said about him or to him. A feeling that didn't make him seem like this stone without feelings.

An emotion that left Shadow very vulnerable. But he couldn't place it. He was too focused on the drumming in his head and the pulling in his chest.

Something in his heart began to ache worse than in his head.

* * *

Guilt.

Pity.

Regret.

Sorrow.

Similar feelings that Shadow was going through were what Amy had to endure as well. And as the four drove into town near four o' clock, everything remained silent.

The pink hedgehog was sure Sonic told Sarah because even she proved to be knowing of the situation that was going on between Shadow and Amy. It made the guilt worse. It made her heart ache even more. It made her regret the words she said twice as much. It made her pity her judged host despite his rude behavior earlier.

 _If only I could change the past. Turn back the clock. I would've never said those things. I just had to open my big mouth. All because Shadow knew I had lost my self-esteem. I just had to get defensive and remind him of something that's been haunting him for ten years._

 _How can he live with it?_

 _All the glares. All of the milkshakes thrown at him. All of the saliva spat in his face._

 _I would've gone into hiding. I would've never shown my face to the world every again. Who knows…maybe I wouldn't have been able to find that place. Death would've been my last resort though. I would've gone to Cream or Silver for help. I would've hidden in their embrace like the coward and quitter I am._

 _But Shadow pushed through like the fighter he is._

She leaned up against the window, peeking to the left occasionally to watch Shadow.

He had remained quiet throughout the day. There were the random sniffles from him and the sneeze that came out of nowhere. The coughs were beginning to build up along the drive to town.

 _I didn't think he could get sick. Maybe it has something to do with being on Earth…Or the difference between Earth and Mobius? Maybe the portal between the two?_

Amy mentally shrugged it off and looked out the window.

It had been a beautiful day, but neither of the two hedgehogs acted as good as the sun had felt. Amy watched TV on the couch and Shadow had remained in his room or in the kitchen. She had purposely avoided him until now.

Sonic had left for work a little while after Amy's cry fest was over. He was a little hesitant to leave the hysterical female, but decided it would be better to give her time to think through her thoughts.

And think through her thoughts, she did.

But it always left to silently crying in the pillow until she could cry anymore.

The only thing Sarah had noted out loud was Amy's puffy and red eyes. Sonic had given his fiancée a look and the two had vanished from the living room while Amy continued to pick out an outfit. Shadow had been in the kitchen and had heard, but the rose hedgehog gave no hint that the remark bothered her.

Instead, if she wasn't thinking, she was sleeping.

Amy had slept through most of the day and most of the car trip. By the time they got into town, she was out like a light.

"Maybe we should've chosen a different day," Sarah mused as she looked at the pink hedgehog sound asleep. She gazed over at Sonic and then at Shadow. Being the blunt female she was, Sarah spoke first in the long pause, "What are you gonna do?"

Shadow looked straight ahead at all times. "I don't know," he said it so it came out as a whisper and Sarah barely heard it.

"An apology on both ends sounds fair," Sarah shrugged and unbuckled. "For now, what do we wanna do? Go home to let her rest or go in?"

The dress shop wasn't welcoming to the males. But they'd driven all this way.

Sonic sighed as he knew the answer. "Wake her up."

* * *

He should've stayed home.

But she looked so goddamn depressed…He could hear the soft cries even from his bedroom. While he was surrounded by warm blankets and tissues while watching TV, he had to listen to her cry.

Relief flooded through him whenever they stopped. It meant she was finally asleep. Unfortunately, Amy had slept on and off for the day. She cried whenever she wasn't sleeping or eating.

 _This damn female is the reason I came along._

 _She regretted her words so much that she's been crying all day and hardly eating. All she ate was her cereal from this morning, a granola bar after her first nap, and a cheese stick for lunch. It was all liquids mostly. My milk carton is nearly gone._

Shadow leaned back against the couch, not caring that Amy was rather close to him now. Sarah walked through the aisles of dresses while Sonic sat on a one-person couch. He didn't seem to notice the two on the loveseat.

And Amy didn't seem to notice Shadow.

The hoodie on her jacket was hung over her head and covered her face. Her bangs were pushed to the side. She leaned back against the couch and brought a knee up.

At first, it seemed like she was watching Sarah go through the dresses, but it later became clear to the dark hedgehog that she was asleep _again_.

 _She's never going to get to bed tonight. She'll be up all night and worrying about her words if I don't say something._

He watched Amy cautiously—as if she were a fragile piece of glass that was bound to break.

 _But how and when can I say something to her? She's either asleep or crying. And now she's busy with Sarah, or will be._

"What color scheme were we shooting for?" Sarah called from one of the rows of emerald dresses.

Sonic piped in without missing a beat, "Blue."

There was a quiet groan of annoyance. "I knew you were going to say that," Sarah murmured. She appeared not a moment later. "But then you'll blend in with everything."

"That's camo, my dear."

Sarah rolled her eyes but halted midway upon seeing Amy snoozing. She marched over and tapped the rose hedgehog on her shoulder.

It didn't take much before Amy was awake.

She lifted her head groggily. The sight that met her was one of Sarah standing before her. The older female had her hands on her hips. "What color would you like to wear, Sleeping Beauty?"

"Um…Haven't you picked a color scheme?"

"Sonic wants blue."

"What's so wrong with blue?" the hero asked, mainly himself, as it came out as a whisper. "It goes with everything I wear."

"White. We can add some white," Sarah noted. But she glanced back down at Amy. "Unfortunately, you can't wear white and blue doesn't look good on pink."

"Gee, thanks."

"Red?"

"What are we shooting for, the Fourth of July?" Amy's dry tone nearly drove Shadow bonkers. It wasn't like her. This was a different Amy Rose—one he had never seen.

It wasn't the Amy that had changed over eight years. It wasn't the old Amy either.

She was becoming a depressing Amy Rose.

"No, but red looks good on you. We'll go with red. And if people want fireworks in May, let it be."

"May?"

"The date is the only thing we really have planned," Sonic responded as Sarah vanished down an aisle of red dresses. "May 5th. Hopefully."

Amy only nodded. By then, Sarah was ushering her to the changing room with a red dress. Simple and Maid-of-Honor-ish. "Try it on."

The lime green hedgehog sat patiently in Amy's spot. Amy, however, felt a little awkward. The couches were placed right in front of the changing rooms. Anyone could see her feet, but the trio with her averted their eyes elsewhere to give her privacy—though she didn't know that.

She figured one was at least looking. But none were.

Mostly.

Sarah got up as another red dress caught her eye. She had gotten Amy's size while in the truck—it being the only thing Amy would make conversation about. Other than that, the rose hedgehog's lips were sealed tight.

Sonic leaned his head back and got comfortable, closing his eyes to rest.

Shadow would hate to admit it, but he might've been the only one looking at the changing room door occasionally. At first, he looked away and stared at the nearby lamp. But the movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention and he seemed to forget that Amy was changing.

He watched as her pants were discarded and her socks magically came off with them. Bare ankles and her feet were the only things that could be seen.

The dark male didn't mean to stare so long.

But it was just her feet after all. They were pink furred, unlike some Mobians that had skin. It was all genetics, he assumed.

Amy hopped a bit once the dress was pooled around her feet. Her nimble hands reached down and pulled the dress up.

So, to say Shadow watched some of it was basically lying. He watched all of it.

Amy walked out rather timidly. Red eyes glanced away just in the nick of time. Sonic opened his eyes upon hearing the changing room door open and nodded. "Looks good."

"I have another one," a determined Sarah broke through an aisle of dresses and shoved one into Amy's arms. "Try this one on instead."

Amy groaned and took the first step of a long journey.

~.~

Five dresses later, Sarah proved to be not only picky but indecisive.

"Sarah, why don't you just ask Amy's opinion?" Sonic suggested with his palm upwards in a motion. "She is the one that has to wear the dress."

"Amy?"

"I don't care for this one," Amy shrugged around in the annoying dress. It was too tight, she could barely breathe. And there was an infuriating bow at the back to tighten things up even more. "I liked the third one. It was simple and red."

"Me, too," Sonic agreed for Amy's sake. He glanced over at Shadow, who was watching the conversation silently. "What about you?"

"They all look the same…" Shadow couldn't care less. The fact that Sonic was actually involving himself in dress shopping was a little weird. But there was no way Shadow would be a part of it.

"Okay, I'll go get it," Sarah waved her off and pushed her back into the changing room. "Sonic, help me find it."

"But—"

"Please? I have no clue where I put it."

Sonic moaned and got up, following his fiancée into the aisle a little ways away. Shadow remained on the couch with his arms across his chest.

 _Just a few more minutes and then we're going home. I can't take all of this dress shopping in one day. Hell, I can't take shopping. That frappe-whatever was the only thing that allowed me to shop with Amy yesterday and even then, I slept through most of it. That, or I don't remember any of it._

But he remembered all of this and it was boring as hell.

He didn't have one of those drinks either so he couldn't get a buzz and then crash.

"Ow!"

Shadow's eyes went to the changing room door. He sat up abruptly as he watched Amy's feet tangle together painfully. She landed with a thud against the door and groaned.

"Great…"

"Amy?" Shadow stood up and took a wary step towards her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine!" She was quick to answer him and brush his concern off.

Yet, just as he was about to take his seat again, Amy groaned once more. Having enough of the situation, Shadow marched over to the door and knocked on it.

"Amy—"

" _I'm fine_!" He never heard the female hiss so angrily at him before. It made him angry. After all, he was only trying to help the hopeless hedgehog on the other side.

"Obviously you're not."

There was a pause and then she let out an aggravating sigh. "The zipper's stuck."

Shadow noticed that Amy had always been able to zip the dress up herself, whereas Sarah seemed to marvel at Amy's flexibility and could never quite do it herself. Shadow figured that was why girls went dress shopping together. Ultimately, one would need to zip the other up.

But Amy had no trouble.

Had she gone shopping alone? The thought made him stop and pity her slightly. Amy had been alone in New York. By the way she talked; she probably had little to no friends. He would be correct. Blaze and Silver were constantly traveling. And Rouge was in Florida. Amy, if she ever went, had gone alone to look for dresses.

Shadow grasped the handle and breathed out heavily. "Do you need help?"

"Could you get Sarah?" Amy wheezed. She was currently grasping the fabric at her stomach and trying to inhale and exhale. "It's _too tight_."

Shadow's ears twitched in Amy's direction at her tone. But his eyes were searching Sarah. The lime green hedgehog, as fate would have it, was nowhere in sight. He cursed both Sarah and Sonic—they were probably making out in a different changing room rather than actually looking for the certain dress Amy wanted. And the pink hedgehog sounded like she was going through World War III in the changing room.

"She's nowhere in sight. Amy, just open the door."

The rose hedgehog wanted to do anything but.

But as her face became pale, she was beginning to run out of options. She pressed the lock and unlocked the door. Shadow opened the door and slid in before taking in the view.

She hadn't gotten anywhere with the zipper. It still rested near the top of her neck, but it was supposed to go down to her lower back. Shadow swallowed and hesitantly approached her in the medium-sized changing room.

He only prayed to God that Sonic and Sarah wouldn't come back and look under the door. Or else they'd see Amy's feet and Shadow's shoes and assume—most likely—the worse.

Amy was still tugging at the fabric. Shadow noted how the color in her face had vanished and how shaky her movements were. His hands delicately reached the zipper as she turned around fully for him. He worked on the zipper with slow movements.

It was obviously caught, but he didn't know where and how.

Even with a tug, it wouldn't budge. He was beginning to lose patience, but was glad to hear Sonic's laughter from far off. He could care less what the couple was doing, but at least they weren't anywhere near. The damn zipper was on his brain.

Amy began to lean back as she was short of breaths.

She was caught in a strong hold and then leaned back up against the wall. Her cheek pressed the cold surface of the brick wall and she narrowed her eyebrows. Closing her eyes, Amy tried to think. She had to breathe. But she couldn't. The damn dress—the annoying damn dress. It was her size, but it was sucking the life out of her.

"It's not working," Shadow growled under his breath. He was left to yank on the zipper as hard as possible but that movement seemed to make it worse. Finally, he had enough. As if on instinct, his hand reached in his pants pocket.

Amy flinched at the sound of a switchblade. "Shadow," she murmured. "Don't…"

"I have to." His voice was firm and there was no stopping the Ultimate Life Form. "We can't let you go anywhere," he sneered as the knife cut through the stubborn fabric. "You go shopping and run into Samwell. You go dress shopping and a dress tries to murder you."

Shadow was slow in movements so he didn't cut her or ruin the dress even more. He got to her shoulder blade length and halted as his knife began to cut something he didn't want it to. The back of her bra was almost sliced. He gulped nervously as his fingers pressed against it. He resituated his knife and inhaled.

"Looks like we'll have to keep a better eye on you."

"I'm…a nuis…ance," Amy gulped for air.

"Shut up." Shadow gritted his teeth as he sliced quickly this time, avoiding her body. Amy flinched. The dress was cut. The knife stopped where the zipper did. He stepped away as Amy seemed to cling to the wall. "You're not as big of a nuisance as Sonic."

Her breathing became even as he helped sit her down on the bench in the changing room. Shadow leaned up against the mirror and watched her, slipping his switchblade back into his jeans. "You live with us now. That doesn't mean things will be perfect. It's been rocky to begin with, but that's how it started with Sonic."

Amy slowly glimpsed up at him with her green eyes. She gripped the dress to herself, leaning towards her knees. The back opened up a bit more because of the movement, but neither seemed to care or notice.

Shadow hastily set off to the door and opened it only enough to slink through without anyone noticing. But Amy interrupted him from doing so.

"So, you're not throwing me out? After all the harsh things I've said?"

It was there that Amy was met with warm, red pools staring at her. "Believe it or not, Rose. But I've been told worse."

He left without another word and without another glance. The door clicked shut but remained unlocked. Amy curled her feet up to the bench and her knees to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin in the middle of her knees.

A little smile erupted on her muzzle.

 _He called me Rose._

The nickname had become a sign of Shadow's emotions. If the Ultimate Life Form never showed his feelings through his face, he proved to be good at showing them through his words.

Rose, to Amy, meant she wasn't on his bad side any longer. It meant he was either tolerating her for the time being, or he was somewhat fond of her. Maybe it meant that he actually liked her as a housemate.

Still, the name she rarely heard had a meaning that was very clear.

 _He's forgiven me. There's nothing to fear._

 _I'm still staying._

* * *

The torn dress became a mystery to Sarah.

She didn't want to pay for it and neither did Amy. The lime green hedgehog held it up and glanced at Amy questioningly. "You mean, it just ripped? In a nearly perfect, straight line following the zipper?"

"What? You've never had that happen before?" Amy shrugged innocently. _Neither have I, but please don't question it Sarah._

Thankfully, Sarah copied Amy's movement and waved the entire thing off. "We'll just leave it for them to find for all I care. It nearly suffocated you?"

"I was left to rip it."

Sarah raised an eyebrow again and stared Amy up and down. "You're _that_ flexible?"

"I was a fighter," Amy lied with a small smile on her face. "My specialty was my hammer and my flexibility."

"Okay…"

Sarah walked away with the ripped dress. Amy breathed out in relief and shut the changing door, walking back out with her bag and regular clothes on. She stopped almost instantly at the sight before her.

Sonic had his hands wrapped around Shadow's throat as they both wrestled on the loveseat as quietly as possible.

Amy saw no workers in sight, so she swiftly went over to the awkwardly quiet fighting males. "What's going on?"

They ignored her as usual.

Sonic growled with a deadly look in his eyes. "You can't keep it in your pants now or what?!" he hissed silently at Shadow.

"I didn't—"

"You disgust me right now," Sonic snarled and pressed harder. "I _know_ what work from a knife looks like—especially from _you_! Straight and neat—I bet you enjoyed it!"

Shadow squirmed underneath him as he clawed at the tight grip around his throat. This must've been like what Amy felt like with the suffocating dress. Only it wasn't her friend trying to kill her and it wasn't around her throat—not to mention, she didn't have nails digging into her neck.

"Guys! Stop it! Sonic, nothing happened!"

The cobalt hero loosened up a centimeter and Shadow took the advantage, flipping Sonic off of him and onto the floor. Sonic rumbled crossly at Shadow and vice versa.

Amy groaned in annoyance, puffing up her bangs. She walked between the two and put her hands on her hips while staring down at Sonic. "Although, I'm flattered that you care for my wellbeing, nothing happened. Shadow merely saved my life from the cursed dress."

The two breathed heavily as Amy stood between them. She gulped unsurely. "Are we good now?"

"Fine." Sonic put his nose up and got up off the floor. "But if he ever—"

"Got it," Amy interrupted the male. "Now, can we just go home?"

Sonic folded his arms and Shadow remained on the couch. The former sniffed stubbornly. "Sarah's busy getting the dress you wanted for the wedding."

"Alright." Amy took a cautious seat on the one person couch that Sonic originally sat in. He still stood.

"Who's all coming to the wedding?" A sudden thought sparked in her head.

"Our relatives," Sonic stated with a shrug and he leaned up against a column, "Tails. Shadow. You. Why? What's with the sudden interest?"

Amy paused and thought her idea through. If she pressed the matter too much, Sonic might become annoyed and kick her out himself. But how would he take it? Would he think it was a good idea? She exhaled lightly through her nose.

 _You'll never know if you don't ask._

"What about _our_ friends?"

Sonic raised eyebrow. Amy licked her lips and whispered, "The team?"

Both males before her were frozen in place. Shadow stared at his shoes. Sonic stared at her. They were both in a state of contemplating what she just said.

"Like…" Sonic blinked in confusion, "The team? Knuckles?"

Amy nodded and gave him a soft grin. "We could get Silver and Blaze here. Cream—Shadow said Tails knows where she is. Knuckles, Rouge, and—" The rose hedgehog stopped short.

"And?" Sonic narrowed a brow. "That's the group, Amy."

"Right," she nervously responded. Her fingers clasped together tightly in her lap as she avoided Shadow's calculating gaze. "I was just thinking—"

"What do you know?"

The voice was Shadow's—Amy knew that without looking at him. But the tone intimidated her so much that she actually shivered in her seat. Slowly, green eyes peered over at the bolshie hedgehog.

"What?"

His eyes were emotionless, which probably meant he was thinking. He had sat up and was closer to her now. He tilted his head in question and curiosity. "You weren't spewing out names. You knew _exactly_ what you were saying."

"Shadow—"

"I might've been adding a few more friends," Amy interrupted Sonic. The one at the column stood straighter now and was leaning towards Amy in caution. "They aren't a part of the team, technically speaking."

"I can talk to Sarah, but most likely they'll be welcomed," Sonic shrugged. "It would be cool to have the team back together, I must admit. Still, random strangers _we_ don't know are a little different. No offense, Amy, but it's not your wedding."

"I know," she was quick to apologize. "I'm sorry."

"Technically speaking." The intimidator spoke again. His eyes never left her figure as he quoted her. "That would mean they're somehow affiliated with Rouge or Knuckles—or both. Who are they?"

"They're…" Amy bit her tongue.

 _Rouge is going to hate me, if not kill me._

But as her eyes met Shadow's, she couldn't help but think it was now or never.

 _Take a breath, Amy. It might be the last one you get._

They might as well know, she figured. But she never found it her place to tell Rouge's secret. Plus, it was never easy to talk about.

 _Here goes nothing._

"They're Rouge's kids. Rouge was raped five years ago."


	11. Sparks

**STH © SEGA & ARCHIE**

 **Sarah and Sam © Cozy Shadow**

 **Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _Again, not much to say about these chapters. So, yeah. Prepare for next chapter though. It's not only long. But it's...well, you'll see._

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven:**

 **Sparks**

The drive home was silent.

While Shadow's throat hurt like hell, he couldn't get the thought out of his head—the thought of Rouge actually getting raped. It didn't make sense.

Amy explained it quickly and quietly. Sarah had joined the conversation to listen. Sonic had used the column for support but the look of shock of evident on his face. Shadow did his best to keep his emotions or thoughts inside, but he couldn't believe it.

His ex-partner? Raped? Rouge? No.

Amy was pulling some sort of prank.

Rouge would've called him, he was sure of it. The bat mothered Shadow. She cared for him. Shadow was positive they were best friends at one point…but was it really the same Rouge?

 _No…I don't believe it. I don't care if she didn't see it coming._

He did his best to block the images out of his head. He could only image what happened. And it hurt. The fact that it happened in real life made Shadow despise humanity even more. But to know that it had happened to the one person he'd been somewhat close to…To know that it had happened to the person he cared about more than all of the others…

The ache in his heart from Amy's words that morning was nothing compared to the ache now.

" _She put up a fight, Shadow."_

Of course she did. She was Rouge.

" _He was executed."_

By what? Medication? Shadow wanted the pleasure of ripping the man's disgusting heart out.

" _She had twins. Although, they have her eyes, I must warn you—they have their father's black fur."_

Great. There was always something to remind you. Rouge probably looked at them every day and thought of the creep. And yet, she still loved her children.

Of course she did.

Because she was Rouge.

 _But she didn't call…_

He desperately wanted to sleep—to shut his eyes and think. But he had to keep driving. It was only a few more minutes until home, but still not quick enough, and he was already speeding by a few miles per hour.

" _She was too embarrassed that it happened to her. Plus, you couldn't have helped her. None of you could've. She didn't know Vanilla well enough and frankly didn't know where Vanilla was. So she called me."_

She called Amy. She called one of the people she hated before she ever called her best friend.

All the years of being tormented and teased by those humans flashed through his head because Rouge was there scaring the tormentors off and protecting the ebony male despite his complaints. She'd been there no matter what.

They had created a friendship over the years, even before Mobius' fall.

And when Rouge had reached her lowest point, she went to Amy Rose. A person she was merely acquainted with rather than him—a person she knew practically inside and out.

While remorse for Amy had swept through his being earlier, he felt a different emotion for Rouge. And he knew it quite well.

Betrayal.

* * *

Surprisingly, Amy slept through the night and into the morning.

When the sun rays hit her, she woke up with a start. _Oh, no…Feeding!_

"Don't bother."

The rose hedgehog stopped and squinted behind her. Shadow was looking out of the window behind the couch. He peeked over at her before staring back outside. "It's already seven. Sonic's taking the day off. We have to get the groceries you forgot last time."

Amy blushed and thumbed the blanket. "Okay. Are you coming?"

"I have nothing else to do today."

His tone was harsh. His words were short and snappy. Amy flinched with each syllable. The Ultimate Life Form was either on his time of the month or he was just in a bad mood. While she humorously blamed it on the former, she knew it was the latter. But what could he be upset about?

 _Well, Rouge for one matter._

She grabbed clothes and vanished into the bathroom, leaving Shadow to stare majestically out the window.

 _Rouge was his best friend, if not sister. And not only did she not call him when the accident happened…but I knew about it._

Tugging on her pants, Amy frowned.

 _It was like when he didn't call Rouge when Sam and Scourge attacked though. He shouldn't be too upset about it. I mean, he did it himself too. He didn't call her. How would Rouge feel if I told her that Shadow was attacked—by Scourge no less?_

 _Knowing her, she'd probably pout that Shadow didn't call her. When really, they both decided against the help of the other in their time of need._

 _Shadow figured he didn't need help, which was probably true. He could get over a broken bone easily._

 _But…rape? Pregnancy? Rouge will always have a reminder that what happened actually happened. And if they do come to the wedding, how will Shadow feel upon looking at the children of his longtime friend who failed to tell him the news?_

 _I don't see why Shadow didn't just call Rouge though._

" _Hey, yeah, we got attacked by Scourge. I'm in the hospital. Thought you might want to know. Oh? You're a mother now? Raped? Wow."_

Amy rolled her eyes. "If only that was how the conversation went. Then Shadow wouldn't be so snippy this morning and Rouge probably won't try and murder me when I tell her."

The female still had to call Rouge. She could already imagine _that_ conversation.

" _So, far, I've managed to get the attention of possible murderers, almost die from a dress, publically humiliate Shadow—oh, and I also told them you got raped and had twins. No biggie, right?"_

"She's going to kill me," Amy whispered to herself as she combed her quills and accepted the inevitable.

At least, if she called Rouge, it would be better than a text and it wouldn't be in person so the bat couldn't kill her. That was the hopeful plan. She didn't need to _Skype_ Rouge—she didn't exactly want to see the bat's furious face.

Opening the bathroom door, Amy inhaled heavily and then exhaled, "Alright, Amy. You go out there and keep making frenemies out of everyone. Eventually, one will be a super-hot, rich guy."

With that in mind, she was out to seize the day.

And slowly dig her grave.

* * *

The truck was cold, so that was a good way to start off a Wednesday morning.

Sonic drove this time as they piled into his pick-up. Sarah was at work. So that left Shadow to sit in the passenger seat and Amy to hog the back seats with her blanket.

"Amy, you got the list?"

"Yeah," she responded to Sonic. Amy flipped it upside down and every which way, still trying to read the cursive. She had crossed out what she had gotten before. "By my calculations, we have to get several squiggly lines and that's about it."

"Don't worry. No one can read Shadow's handwriting. He can yodel, so he can do anything."

Amy paused and stared at the radio. "Shadow the Hedgehog can yodel?"

"No. You know what? I don't know. I made that up," Sonic admitted and then glanced over at the moody male. "Shadow, can you yodel?"

It took him a moment to respond. But slowly, the dark hedgehog came out of his pouting state to stare at Sonic like he was an idiot. "Can I what?"

"I take that as a no. But Shadow just writes in cursive to be even more different and difficult than the rest of us."

Amy raised her eyebrows while looking at word she thought said 'lettuce.' "It's not that it's bad. It's very good cursive. I just don't see why you have to write in cursive."

"Because when I try to write in print, I might as well be a preschooler that Sarah teaches."

"It's that bad?"

Shadow snorted and looked back out the window. "You have _no_ idea."

"Okay, well besides the grocery store, I have to stop off at _Sears_ and look at appliances."

"Why?"

"I'm buying a house."

Amy nearly choked in surprise, "This close to the wedding? Are you nuts?"

"The wedding is three months and a few days away. I already had the house bought. The last family came and went like a teenager's summer romance. They only lived in it for about a month, so I bought it. Frankly, though, I hate the fridge. It's black."

Shadow leisurely glowered at him.

"I have nothing against the color black—it just doesn't match the white oven. You know, everything in the house is beautiful to look at it. It really is," Sonic nodded his head to convince Amy. "It's just the kitchen survived a zombie apocalypse… _barely_."

"So, you're going to buy a new fridge and oven?"

"Possibly dryer and washer too. The house didn't come with them. I'm going to check the prices and try and determine what Sarah likes. Nearly four years of dating the woman and it all comes down to this."

Amy raised her eyebrow. "You don't think you're taking this a little too seriously?"

"Amy, I don't think you understand the situation," Sonic retorted. "If I choose something Sarah doesn't like, she'll do that thing that women do."

"What thing?"

"You know!" Sonic motioned with his hands and gave her wide eyes in the reflection mirror. " _The thing_. You pretend to like it. You say it's fine. Really, you hate it. You want to burn it. You want to watch it sink like the Titanic."

Amy pursed her lips in thought. "Yeah, that's kind of true. I had a suitcase from Blaze that I wanted to do that to. I ended up just selling it to buy some food when I lost my job."

"I feel sorry for the suitcase." Sonic drove on as the town came into view, "Any idea where Blaze and Silver are now, though? Sarah agrees fully with having the team at the wedding. Now it's just a matter of getting them all here."

"Somewhere in Europe last time I checked," Amy gazed out the window at the repetitive fields and occasional trees, "France, as of late."

"I went to Europe when I traveled. I didn't stay long—again, I mostly went to South America because their cultures were fascinating to me. Went to China. Never doing that again. Have not gone to Indonesia but it's on my bucket list. Not at the top of the list, but somewhere in between. Below Area 51 though."

Amy cracked a smile. Sonic seemed so chill. She wasn't sure what to think. And then there was Moody Shadow in the corner. She was pretty sure he had fallen asleep or was trying to.

 _Who knows how much sleep Shadow got last night after he heard about Rouge…_

Amy felt a little bad after telling them.

Partially due to the fact that she would have to tell Rouge that she spilled the beans. And Rouge probably wouldn't be in a forgiving mood. The ivory female was already upset with her for not asking for help and now Amy got to call her up and say the cat was out of the bag.

Amy wasn't excited for that. She could hear the profanity now.

But she also felt bad for saying anything because of Sonic and Shadow's faces. Sonic was openly shocked. While Shadow had tried to keep it in, Amy saw right through it. Sonic and Sarah probably did too. And if they didn't, his moodiness now proved to be linked with Rouge's secret. Why else would Shadow be cranky?

 _Among a million others things Rouge is the best guess._ Amy snorted lightly under her breath.

So, while Sonic continued to babble on about his adventures, Amy happily listened.

Shadow, of course, continued to sulk in his little corner.

* * *

He was never fond of pushing the cart, but he became the designated driver upon entering the grocery store. Also purse-sitter.

Sighing, Shadow followed the two in front of him as they walked through the hair and beauty aisle.

 _I don't remember this on my list…_

The pile of coupons in Amy's fist was enough for Shadow to keep his opinions to himself and his mouth shut. The last thing he needed was Amy blubbering about whether or not Shadow would kick her out.

 _No. I'm not going to kick you out. Shut up about it already. Move on with your life—why am I feeling deja vu?_

Shadow glanced around warily and felt another presence that was not his, Amy's, or Sonic's. It felt different.

Like in the mall, before he'd completely gone hyper.

Keeping his senses tuned into reality, Shadow moved on but cautiously and on high alert.

Sonic wasn't really paying attention to where he was going—though he probably didn't care anyway. If he ran into anyone, he would just sign their forehead and prance off.

Whistling a tune, he stared at the column in the aisle with the emergency phone and a bunch of maps in a slot next to it, on the other side of the column. His tune went up and he sauntered like a drunken man towards the column with a mischievous glint to his eyes.

Amy grabbed some bottles of shampoo and the rest of the conditioner on sale. Throwing them in the empty cart, she heard Shadow's almost inaudible sigh. She ignored it though. Instead her attention was grabbed by a certain blue hedgehog.

"Don't you dare grab that emergency phone."

Sonic's lazy cat grin immediately turned into a puckered frown. His hand left the emergency phone and he turned to look over his shoulder at Amy with the same frown across his muzzle still. His eyes looked at her as if she took the greatest toy ever away from a child.

"Don't even think about it, Sonic." Amy pointed at him. "You're not a child anymore. You are a serious role model to people."

She grabbed the edge of the cart and dragged the cart and Shadow away from the aisle. She left Sonic in the aisle with his puckered pouting lips.

~.~

Amy didn't know it was possible, but she lost both of them.

Rounding the aisle for canned foods, she looked up and down the shelving for peas and corn. There were tons of options and some on sale. Unfortunately, the ones she wanted were on the top shelf.

Tippy toeing, Amy reached for the peas.

Her fingers grazed the can, and it was out of her reach. She was just too short.

And just like that, another hand skimmed hers and then it was gone—as if it had been a breeze.

Her eyes widened at the unfamiliar scent. But it was one of faint alcohol. A hint of smoke, but not much. Cologne. Male. Shakily, Amy rested on her feet and turned to her right.

The heart beneath her ribcage hammered. The breaths coming from her quickened.

A can of peas was held out to her and the intruder gazed down at her with cold, blue eyes.

"Scourge."

He didn't even bother flashing a smirk like old times. His eyes never grew lust either. His posture never changed.

And for a slight moment, Amy thought she saw his eyes soften a fraction. But then he was back to being his somewhat old self. Just hard and cold like Shadow used to be. Scourge was without the lustful movements though, while it seemed Samwell had gained them.

They stood there for what felt like hours.

Amy was surprised he didn't yell at her to take the damn can already. But both seemed to be frozen.

But in Amy's life, there was always something to break the ice.

And this time, it was the ebony hand that shot out and grabbed the can away. Roughly, Shadow aimed it to the cart. Amy flinched at the rattle of the can bouncing in the cart. Her emerald eyes tore away from Scourge's blue to look at the uninjured can of peas.

 _I still need five more._

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Amy shivered and took the tone from Shadow as a signal to back away. Silently, she went to the cart and avoided eye contact.

"Getting food." His voice had changed. It cracked a little, like he had a sore throat. It was rougher, too. "How's the leg?"

She could feel Shadow's fury several feet away. She only wondered where in the world Sonic was.

"Fine."

"Really?" Scourge raised his eyebrow in a teasing manner, though his face was still calm and vacant of emotions. "I heard you walked with a limp. A little disappointed to see it's not true."

"Leave us alone."

Blue eyes glanced over at the pink hedgehog picking her nails by the cart. He stared back at Shadow upon hearing the low growl. "Sam's been talking about you more than ever now. It seems he's taken a fancy in Amy. I see why. She's _quite_ a looker."

"Whatever quarrel you have with Sonic and me, leave her out of it."

"Oh?" Scourge reached for his cart and leaned against the handle. "I don't see why I should leave her out, though. She is a part of the Sonic Team, isn't she? More a part of it then you ever were at least. And I'm including _you_."

Shadow's throat still hurt but the low snarls still grew deep within. The fact that Scourge had the audacity to show up wasn't entirely what set him on edge. No. What made Shadow's hair rise was the fact that Scourge and Amy had been stuck in some sort of trance. There was no way he would allow Amy to get involved with Scourge—not while she slept under his roof.

"Leave her alone, Scourge. If I find out that Sam so much as looked at her—"

Scourge folded his arms across his stomach loosely. "What are you gonna do, Shadow? I could very well have a sledgehammer the next time you turn around. And I won't be aiming for your leg."

"Can we just go?" Amy murmured. Her quills covered most of her face and she was preoccupied with her nails.

The green male looked her up and down and then glimpsed at Shadow. "It was nice running into you, Shadow."

"If only I could say the same."

"You might want to watch what you say," Scourge threatened as he stood straight and met Shadow's towering height. "We know just enough to make both your lives a living hell. Then again, yours already is. But Amy's…" The creeping gaze landed on her at the right moment. The pink hedgehog couldn't help but look up, and she cursed herself when she did.

She was caught by those blue eyes again. They weren't scary like Sam's. They were more enticing—like they had a deeper connection, or at least a reason why Scourge wasn't looking at her so hungrily.

"I'm sure there are things she wouldn't want anyone to know. And I'm just as sure it would be easy to figure those things out."

Amy swallowed fearfully and determinedly glared at the interloper. "I don't have secrets, Scourge."

"Everyone has secrets. Even the lovely Amy Rose. And you know what they say," Scourge turned and grabbed the handle of his cart while staring only at her. "Behind the sweetest smiles lie the darkest secrets."

He was gone as quickly as he had showed up—like a phantom.

Shadow stood in his place as both registered his words. The ebony male's quills quivered in annoyance.

Now, Amy had caught the attention of Scourge too. Why did she have to be a magnet for his enemies? He would no doubt have to watch Scourge's movements as well as Sam's. Both weren't taken lightly, and their threats held meaning.

If Amy did have secrets, Scourge would be sure to expose them. But at what initiative?

While the ebony male despised both Scourge and Samwell, he wasn't about to make the first move. He would act in self-defense. And also to keep Amy safe. If she did have any secrets, it would ruin her to see them shown to the world.

But did she? Did the fair flower really have any skeletons in the closet?

Shadow twisted around to her deliberately and watched her with an emotionless stare. "Amy?"

She didn't care to look up and meet his gaze. Her nails fascinated her. Currently thinking if she should paint them yellow, Amy jumped when Shadow was closer to her. Cornered by the shelving, a small advertisement booth for cookies, and Shadow, Amy had no choice but look up at him.

Reluctantly, she did so and set her hands to her side. "Yes?"

"I…" He trailed off, unsure of how to go about it. Secrets and more secrets. That was what was happening. First Rouge's and now he had the opportunity to pry Amy for her own. No. He couldn't bring himself to tear her petals off one by one like that. "I don't care if you have things that are left unshared, but I will warn you that while you stay under my roof, I cannot guarantee your safety—reputation and mentally wise."

Amy chewed her bottom lip and grasped the cart handle. She tilted her head at just the right angle so her bangs fell over her right eye. Together, they were unmoving like she and Scourge had been—staring at one another for the longest time.

"But I will try my best to keep you alive," he softly spoke, a warmth spreading through his body. "You live in my house, so I think I'm obligated in keeping you physically safe from the men I did not intentionally want you to encounter, much less attract. If the rumors are true then they're brutal and will torture anyone in the most inhumane ways possible. They won't wait for the prey to come to them. They'll strike. And if it's you they want—to anger Sonic and I—then they'll have us to answer to. Sonic and I…" he paused as he reluctantly but also committedly spoke, "…will protect you."

Amy's lips curved upwards a little at the corners. "Thank you. I would like that. But…"

She stared down at his hand. He watched her curiously as she trailed off. "But?"

It was nothing romantic. It was merely the ties of friendship beginning between the two as Amy grasped his hand lightly.

He didn't tug away, but his calculating gaze looked at their sudden connection. A warm feeling buzzed through him again, but this time it was like a spark. He didn't know how to describe it, but he knew it felt like the good kind of warmth.

"But I would like to think what the Sonic Team thought upon defeating Eggman, watching their world burn, and letting the horizon lead them to their futures on Earth: if anyone messes with one of us, they mess with _all_ of us. That notion vanished when that team split, but it never truly left them."

Her tone was gentle and it made the spark in their hands intrigue Shadow more. Her eyes were soft pools of emerald green that would've caused even the greatest villains alive to stop and stare. So, naturally the Ultimate Life Form had to gaze upon the beauty that Amy gave the world.

"And it could be ten years or fifty years, but I will always stand by each and every single one of those team members. Until death takes my last breath, I will be there. We're on the side of justice. If no one else stands up to take the blow, count on me."

Shadow didn't know what to think. Or say. Part of him wanted to think that she just being touchy feeling like any girl would be upon him practically saying he would protect her until he couldn't any longer.

But another part of him said that the words Amy Rose spoke were beyond the truth.

Amy might've been low on self-esteem, but it never interfered with her being so selfless compared to him. She would take a bullet for anyone of her friends. And to think that Scourge or Sam might go that far kind of daunted Shadow. He didn't want Amy to do something stupid and try to be the hero. But he couldn't just say that. Her words were meant to be taken and responded with a 'thank you' so where was his thanks?

Well, he couldn't find it.

"While it's like you to be altruistic, Amy," Shadow murmured as he chose his words carefully. He didn't want to repeat the dinner scene. "The team needs its optimism. And we only found it in you. It would be a shame if we were to lose you."

Her smile grew wider. Shadow internally praised himself in saying the correct thing for once.

"Not an option."

They continued to stare at one another for a second longer.

Their hands still touched but were beginning to pull away like a slow dying fire. It made the heat disappear too quickly for Shadow though, and he almost reached back for it. The tingles were there for so long, he got used to them.

Just what were those little sparks zapping through his fingers when their hands met? Something told Shadow that he should've actually watched at least one chick flick in his life.

"Am I interrupting something?"

And just like that, their hands completely pulled a part. The grocery store actually came into their eyesight, but it was full of dull colors compared to before.

"No." Shadow was back to himself, ignoring the odd sensation when his fingertips had traced her palm as they pulled away. "We just caught up with Scourge."

Sonic watched with a knowing look but stopped at the mention of Scourge. His eyes narrowed a little and then he was laidback again. "So you decided to gaze into each other's eyes?"

"Of course not," Amy grabbed random cans of food and placed it in the cart.

Her flush on her cheeks was evident and she moved hurriedly and clumsily down through another aisle to avoid Sonic's teasing grin. When she was gone, Sonic turned his head creepily to Shadow. A Grinch smile plastered itself on Sonic's muzzle.

"You know, when I said meet her halfway, I didn't mean second base."

"Shut up, Sonic."

"I'm just kidding. That's not enough second base. Second base is—"

"I'm leaving you." Shadow walked quickly down the aisle and followed Amy's footsteps. Sonic was on his tail unfortunately.

"C'mon, Shadow! It's time we have the birds and the bees talk!"

* * *

Checking out went unfortunately slow.

Amy evaded Shadow and Sonic the best she could but ultimately had to let Sonic set the stuff on the conveyer belt. Not to mention Shadow had to pay so he was in front of the cashier with his wallet in hand.

The pink hedgehog wasn't about to wonder off since Scourge was possibly still out and about. But she didn't want to hang around the two maddening men any longer. And they still had one more store to go to for Sonic.

It wasn't so much as shopping with them or what Sonic said earlier (okay, it sort of had to deal with that) that made Amy antsy to leave. It was what she felt when her hand grazed Shadow's.

 _I've never felt that…It was weird. Like warm tingles erupting._

She, of course, was female. And being female, she most likely watched at least one chick flick in her life. Being Amy Rose, a college dropout with no boyfriend, and a hopeless romantic, it was safe to say that she had her favorite chick flick memorized.

 _Sparks. Sparks mean one thing. There's something there. But eventually sparks die, don't they? Unless they become a flame and then a giant fire. Oh, God, I'm just overthinking this._

 _Shadow and I are not meant to be together. Don't be such a girl, Amy._

Trying to compose her thoughts, the pink flower set grocery bags into the cart.

 _I was probably dragging my feet and shocked him. That would be likely…if there was any carpet around and if I were in socks._ She frowned drastically and tried to push the thought away, but suddenly she had the image of holding hands with Shadow again. Only more romantically then it had actually been.

 _Not loosely touching. Linked. Our fingers molding perfectly together. The sparks becoming flames and spreading nothing but warmth through us._

Then she was cut off from the world.

Not quite.

Hands went over her eyes and she immediately stopped thinking about girlish things. Her heart raced because last time she checked, Shadow and Sonic were in front of her. She was loading the bags into the cart as the cashier handed them to her.

"Guess," Sonic's voice came out friendly so Amy calmed down.

The pink hedgehog had no clue. There was no way it could be Sonic. He was in front of her, like stated before. But it was something she saw him doing—covering one's eyes.

"Sonic?"

"Nope." It was Blue's voice again. Not giving the person behind her away.

It certainly wasn't Shadow, was it? He was also in front of her. And he didn't seem like the one to be doing this. But maybe he had felt the sparks too? Maybe he had lightened up around her enough to be open? Maybe he was trying to bring her back to reality and out of lala land?

"Shadow?"

A chortle from the hero. "Nope."

Amy mulled it over.

The person was obviously approachable and very good at standing still. She couldn't see a thing as his hands were entirely on her face. At least, she figured it was a he.

"Do I know him?"

"No," a new voice spoke out in a joking manner. "I'm a stranger."

Gasping, Amy turned around just as his hands lifted up. While his voice had continued to deepen, his appearance couldn't fool her.

"Tails! Oh, my God!" She wrapped him up in a hug immediately. Pulling away, Amy got a better look at him. "You've grown so much!"

He was now taller than her by a few centimeters. His eyes were still the pretty light blue they'd always been, and his bangs never changed. His style of fashion had though. While he wore jeans like Sonic and Shadow (and practically anyone else in Sawyer), he adorned a white T-shirt and a brown leather jacket over it—getting rid of his old brand T-shirts that he had worn when the group was together.

The change and separation of the group seemed to benefit some more than others.

"So have you," Tails agreed with a lighthearted laugh. "I heard you moved in with the troublemakers."

"I did. I am."

Shadow pushed the cart and softly directed her out of the checkout aisle after he paid. Amy walked on her own towards the doors, walking beside Tails. Sonic followed, deciding to flank the ebony male.

"And how's that? I apologize for not visiting until now. I'm getting ready for the crops this summer. Lots of lands and lots of schedules for lots of farmers."

"That's fine!" Amy waved him off as they entered the outside world. The sun cascaded down on the four as they made their way through the parking lot. "There's hardly a dull moment, I'll say. Kind of makes me miss New York City and my desk. But I guess it won't ever be calm when we meet up."

"Agreed. Sonic filled me in, by the way. Silver and Blaze are coming to the wedding?"

"I'll talk to them about it. I'm sure they won't refuse." Amy shrugged anyway. "Blaze has been pestering me about my new life here. She wants me to go with Silver and her instead of these guys."

"What?" Sonic pretended to sound offended. "Well, you can tell Blaze that she can't have cake at the wedding then." Shadow snorted in response while Amy giggled.

"Rouge might be coming too?" Tails questioned suddenly. Amy's posture became serious as they got to Sonic's truck. "And Knuckles? And…Derrick and…"

"Dexter."

"Dexter, that's right." The fox seemed to be adjusting better than anyone else. Or at least accepting it and moving on. "They're welcome to stay with me so they don't overcrowd Shadow or have to spend their time in a hotel. Five year olds need some room, I imagine."

Amy cracked a light grin. "Thank you, Tails. That's really kind of you. I'll see what she says."

"Not to ruin the reunion or anything, but Tails is coming to _Sears_ with us," Sonic wrapped his arm around Amy's shoulder while Shadow unloaded the groceries into the pickup, "Whole reason why he's here, really."

"He's not here to meet up with me?" Amy inquired confusedly.

"No, he understands females. He'll hopefully know what Sarah likes."

Sonic left the two and walked around to the driver's side. Shadow finished unloading and started to push the cart towards the others that were gathered up in the parking lot. Tails remained in front of Amy.

"Listen…I don't know if you want Cream's number or—"

"I would love it!" Amy speedily responded but then bit her lip. Her ears went back against her head. "Is she upset?"

"She was hurt. A lot. I think she replaced you with someone else in her high school," Tails noted as he looked towards the busy street of cars. "But I'm not saying you can't make up with her."

Amy frowned a little, "Right. Thank you, Tails."

After giving her the number, Tails went off to find his car. Sonic hopped into the driver's seat and the rest followed.

The blue hero looked back at Amy, who was busy looking at her phone. "You okay?"

Amy glanced up and nodded assuredly. "I'm fine. Let's go."

He put the truck in drive and left the grocery store. It was still early and so many things had happened still. Amy puffed up her bangs and looked at the new contact in her phone that was labeled Cream.

It was just another sign that things never truly were dull and probably wouldn't ever be.

* * *

Amy didn't know what she was expecting upon walking into _Sears._

It was a boring store—at least to her. And the sooner she convinced Sonic to buy the giant, shiny fridge, the quicker they could go home and the happier she would be.

"I speak female, just buy this one."

Sonic chose to ignore her though. They were on the outside of the aisle, looking at the fridges on the ends. Shadow was more or less leaning up against one and calling it good enough help.

"Sarah doesn't like white fridges. I know that much," Tails pitched in. Amy gave him a glare as the fridge she was leaning against and trying to convince Sonic to get was indeed white, "Gray metal or black."

"She likes black ovens," Sonic opened a fridge and stuck his head inside. "I'm marrying a sadist."

Amy snorted and lifted herself off the fridge. "Just because she likes darker colors doesn't mean she's a sadist."

"Sometimes, though…She wants to watch the world burn," Sonic murmured and then shut the fridge door. "Not this one."

"I'm telling you," Tails stopped in front of the fridge he kept coming back to. "This is the one."

"What? You mean Gold Digger, over there?" Sonic motioned to it. "It's not cheap, bro. I might as well get a cheaper one because you know what they're all gonna do? Keep food cold."

"Yeah, but I think Sarah would like this one."

Sonic put his hands on his hips. "What makes you think you know my fiancee?"

"You made me come along for this reason, remember?" Tails droned and stared at Sonic with a blank face. "It doesn't matter if you like the fridge. This is war. If Sarah doesn't like it, we might as well tie an anvil to our feet and sink into the ocean."

"You guys are like a married couple," Amy groaned out as she tiredly watched them argue. "It's just a fridge."

"Well, you and Shadow stare at each other like a married couple."

The pink hedgehog stared at Sonic confusedly. "What does that even mean?"

"Oh, don't deny the googily eyes going on down in aisle seven."

Shadow growled lowly. " _Sonic._ You have no clue what happened."

The blue blur was just aching to push his buttons apparently. Sonic hopped over to the ebony male and smirked wickedly. "Exactly. Isn't it safe to assume?"

"No."

"But Amy was _blushing_."

"Because you live to embarrass each and every single one of us on this goddamn planet." Shadow kept his arms folded across his chest while doing his best to ignore the nuisance. But the punch was coming up quick now with every syllable that _beloved hero_ uttered.

"Then how come you aren't denying it?"

The male stopped and stared at Sonic with emotionless red eyes. Sonic continued, being the idiot he was—and also trying to get Shadow _somewhere_ with Amy.

"Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you _do_ have a crush on little Miss Rose after all." The cobalt flash grinned devilishly as he pestered his housemate.

Shadow's teeth clenched. Tails began hiding his body behind a fridge. Amy's cheeks were beginning to redden again, but her gaze went to Shadow. She watched him in curiosity.

Why wasn't he denying anything? Maybe it was because that would only let Sonic have more fun. Or maybe…

 _Enough, Amy. Stop thinking like an idiotic fangirl. He's not interested. You're not interested. A thing happening between you two is never going to happen. Ever._

She cleared her mind of the thought and continued to watch the scene unfold, though something told her to stop it before it became another brawl between the two males.

"You just don't know what to do about it."

"I assure you, I don't have a _crush_."

"I think you do."

"One more word, Sonic, and you're ass is going across this store."

Sonic grinned as his eyes lit up with mischief. "Tell me, Shadow. Did you think about her being something more than just a friend for at least a split second in that grocery store? Or were you two really just being friendly and nothing more?"

Shadow swallowed and tightened his fist. "Nothing romantic ever happened or ever _will_ happen. So you can butt out and stop trying to get us together."

That caught Amy's attention.

"Wait, what?" She took a step towards the two, which Tails shook his head rapidly at. Amy eyed Sonic though. "Sonic, is that true?"

"Of course it's true," Shadow spat. He brushed shoulders with Sonic roughly and walked towards Amy and Tails, to get away from the pest. "Ever since you showed up, he's been trying to get us together."

The rose hedgehog could feel the lump in her throat. She choked on it while wide eyes stared at Sonic. The blue blur cleared his throat.

"I just think Shadow needs someone, that's all."

"And you think _I'm_ the one for him?" Amy motioned between her and Shadow. "You're kidding, right? What makes you the expert on love?"

"I'm marrying the woman I love."

Amy groaned. "That doesn't mean you can go and try to meddle with other people's lives, Sonic!"

"Why are you getting so worked up about this?" Sonic scoffed and put his hand on his hip. "It's not like you and Shadow are actually getting anywhere. Unless something really did happen in the store and Shadow's not man enough to say something."

The red eyes glowed angrily. The hiss came along with the words, "That's it."

Amy watched in horror as Shadow leaped towards Sonic and the two met head on. She moaned in frustration. "Why does this always have to happen?!" She was beginning to wonder how they survived four years together.

"Go on, Shadow, just admit it," Sonic gritted his teeth as he pushed against Shadow.

The darker counterpart growled snappily and gripped Sonic's shirt, tossing him across the aisle like a ragdoll. Sonic smashed into pillows that were in a crate. The metal creaked under his sudden weight.

"Touchy."

"I'm going to enjoy killing you," Shadow snarled as his quills shook. He took a step closer and then Sonic was back on his feet, ready for the attack.

Sonic gave him the best cocky grin the sucker had given in a long time. "I'm going to enjoy it when you admit you like her."

Amy jumped again as the two crashed into each other. She put her hand over her mouth after yelping. Frantic eyes searched for Tails and weren't surprised to see him behind the fridge still. Hurrying over, Amy nestled in beside him.

"Do they do this often?"

"Sometimes. Normally, it's not about a girl though. I mean, Sonic hasn't ever tried to get Shadow with someone. I guess since he's leaving after he gets married, he didn't want Shadow to be entirely alone. Maybe that's the main reason he agreed to let you in without asking Shadow. It wouldn't surprise me if Sonic had this plan cooked up the moment you called." Tails shrugged lightly and then glimpsed down at Amy. "You could be good for him though…"

"No." The word came out of her mouth faster than she anticipated. She hadn't actually meant to say it at all. "I mean...I don't see us together. He's _Shadow the Hedgehog_. We aren't exactly on good terms right now. And I don't want to date him."

"If I were Sonic, I would respond with something like, 'You don't want to date him _yet.'_ But I'm not," Tails' gaze was soft and Amy had to meet it. "I'm not Sonic. Do whatever you want, Ames. It's just good to see you—and have you back. It definitely beats the alternative."

"Yeah." Amy stared back at the brawling hedgehogs. By now, it seemed more like play fighting. "It does."

Sonic lightly pushed back and Shadow took the hint. They stopped for a breather while Amy and Tails continued to gawk quietly behind the nearest fridge. Shadow's back was to the fridges and Sonic's was to the pillows he had run into. A rack of new pots and pans was placed beside the crate of pillows and loomed over them.

"Just stop it," Shadow hissed in a whisper. His eyes seemed almost to plead for a second. He breathed heavily. "There's no need. Once she gets back on her feet, she'll be gone. Another person out of my life."

"I'm beginning to think you mean that enviously," Sonic wiped the spit from the side of his mouth. He looked at his finger to make sure it wasn't blood.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's not that you don't like her," Sonic wheezed as he clutched his stomach. They were definitely out of shape. "It's that you don't want to get attached. I'm leaving once I get married, and suddenly you assume that means I won't be around anymore. I'll still be here, Shadow. I'm not moving to a different town."

There was a silence in the air.

"You're not?" His ears tilted in curiosity.

Sonic snorted. "Nah. We both like the country better. And I plan on renting some land from the Wilsons."

"That means you're close to the house still," Shadow mused. He turned and narrowed his eyebrows. "You couldn't move to the next town over?"

"Don't count on it."

"Damn it."

"C'mon," Sonic grinned loosely and lightly punched Shadow's shoulder. "You're going to miss me. That's why you don't want to date Amy. Because you'll think she'll get a job and leave you. Newsflash, buddy, she probably wouldn't leave very far if she wanted her own place and if you two were dating."

Amy groaned and marched up to the two boys, despite Tails trying to hold her back. "Sonic! Let's get something straight. We're not going to date. _Ever_. I'm not even attracted to him."

Shadow snorted in agreement. Sonic watched the two glare at him and couldn't help but let the lazy cat grin slide across his face.

Amy turned her back on him and was about to leave. Shadow was going to follow. But Sonic always kept the beat. "But Shadow's attracted to you."

The black blur came before Amy had any idea what was happening. She was nicked so she shrieked, turning around as Shadow crashed Sonic into the rack of pots and pans. It wiggled tremendously.

"Guys, stop it!" She shouted and rushed towards them. Tails called for her to come back. Workers yelled off in the distance. But Amy continued towards the two that seemed to never stop arguing. It was all because of her, too.

 _Why am I the one to ruin everything? I came and now Sonic thinks he can get Shadow and I together. Me, me, me. I hate the spotlight sometimes._

With full force, the little female rammed into the both of them with her arms outwards. They got tangled in the mess.

"STOP IT! STOP IT!" Amy found herself between the two fortunately and placed a hand on each chest. Sonic huffed at Shadow, whose chest rumbled unhappily with growls. "Someone's going to get hurt if you don't knock it off!"

"Watch out!"

And then metal came crashing down.

Amy screamed as not only the pots and pans landed on all three, but the giant, heavy rack came tumbling down as well. Sonic grabbed her wrist and brought her to the ground as the rack hit his back. Shadow crumpled to the floor while both did their best to shield the female. Sonic breathed heavily as the last pot hit his head. Shadow groaned as the rack rested on him.

Tails shakily ran up and did his best to lift the rack. Workers were already running towards them. He bent down to check up on his friends.

"Is everyone okay?"

The rose hedgehog appeared to be curled inwards toward the two. Sonic did his best to start standing up but only planked. Shadow met Tails' gaze. "We're fine."

Red eyes glowered over at the shocked hero. "This is _your_ fault."

"Guys, just stop," Amy whined. She set her right hand down to the floor and flinched in pain. Her wrist had taken the landing pretty hard. It was a little crooked but nothing felt broken. Staring at Sonic and then Tails, she licked her lips.

The workers' footsteps rushed towards them.

"What happened?"

"Is everyone okay?"

"There are _people_ under there?"

"Get them out! Call 911!"

Sonic brushed it off as soon as they lifted the rack off the retired heroes a few seconds later. "No need. We're fine."

A sore back that was easily popped back into place was all Sonic had to endure. Shadow had shielded himself well since he was the furthest away from the shelving. He only jumped back in to help stop the rack from crushing the young flower that remained silent.

Shadow brushed shoulders with Amy. She held her wrist but met his eye contact. "I'm fine," she responded as if she read his thoughts, giving him an encouraging grin.

And then suddenly the manager was before them with his hands on his hips and a fuming look on his face. "I want to know what just happened here."

Sonic glanced over at Shadow with a knowing look.

Unfortunately for Amy, it seemed they would be returning home a little later than planned.


	12. Thinking like a Girl

**STH © SEGA**

 **Sarah and Sam © Cozy Shadow**

 **Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _When I make changes throughout this new version, I must admit I'm doing opposite things that happen compared to in the old version. I'm thinking about more 'what if's' and such. There is one in particular that I'm thinking about doing, but I'm not sure you readers would like it…I'd like it, though because of the change in couple._

 _I hope these four chapters haven't been too excruciating. There are parts that I like and other parts that I just don't, but I couldn't change anything upon writing them because those scenes are actually needed to influence other things. So, there's not much filler to go around just yet._

 _At the end, I listened to Love Me Like You Do like a hundred times...Still listening to it. XD Roughly 38K words this batch around._

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve:**

 **Thinking like a Girl**

The ice pack Amy found in the freezer was cool to the touch, but her wrist was aflame.

She leaned against the counter, having decided to stay up later than usual to mend to her wrist without anyone noticing. Sarah and Sonic went to bed by nine-thirty. Shadow escaped to his room a little before. Waiting until ten, Amy was sure they were all asleep by now.

The day replayed through her brain as the ice pack helped.

 _New York City had never been so exciting, Amy. You never ran into old enemies, old friends, and you definitely didn't ever get crushed by a shelf. All in one day. When can I ever relax?_

Closing her eyes, she sniffled and mentally groaned.

 _I better not be catching the cold Shadow has. Even if he doesn't admit that he's sick, we all know he is._

Shadow. The name hadn't been a name in New York City. She almost altogether forgot about him. But now, it held meaning.

 _Sonic was trying to get us together. Those tingles I felt in the store when our hands touched. Things are suddenly becoming more meaningful because I can't stop thinking like a girl._

She grasped the ice pack and continued to hold it against her wrist.

 _I've got to get over what happened today and move on. I'm not attracted to Shadow and I don't want to date him._

 _But what if what Tails said was true? That I don't want to date him yet? Technically, it was what Sonic would've told me. Still, what if I did want to date Shadow in the future—No. Impossible._

 _For starters, he's not interested in me._

 _Then why didn't he deny much of anything Sonic said? It was probably because Sonic would've had much more fun if he had tried denying things. Plus, he still agreed with me and stated we would never date. I said basically the same thing. So we both agree on one thing._

 _But what if I was lying?_

Amy narrowed her eyes. It was to the point where she couldn't tell if her mind was in control or not. Perhaps she was fooling herself into thinking she had lied? After all, wouldn't anyone that didn't think Shadow was a monster think he was good looking?

Yet, if they got to know him, they probably would be disappointed to find he wasn't exactly a charmer in his words.

 _Maybe Shadow needs a girl. He just doesn't need me._

But the thought of finding the Ultimate Life Form a woman made Amy's stomach knot. Something churned against the idea, telling her no. Her mind seemed to think of only one answer. _What if that girl is me?_

 _Don't be ridiculous, Amy. Stop thinking like a teenage girl. Think like a woman and get over this growing infatuation before it becomes a disease._

Still, everything that had happened intrigued her. From the tingles they shared to Sonic's words, Amy couldn't help but ponder about everything a bit more into depth than she probably should've.

She was lost in thought so deeply that she failed to listen to the outside world.

"What are you doing up this late?"

"Oh!" Amy gasped and turned around with wide eyes. The ice pack revealed itself and Shadow's posture softened a tad. "You scared me. Again."

Shadow ignored her and focused his gaze on her wrist.

He ambled cautiously towards her before glimpsing into those emerald eyes and taking a hold of her bruised and hurt wrist. The bruise that had developed made Amy slightly worry someone would notice.

It apparently didn't take long.

Her ears flapped back against her head and she bowed slightly in submission as the male overlooked the damaged wrist. Still, curious green eyes watched as his fingers gently traced along her wrist, shooting up more sparks.

Toes curled, tail flinched, and cheeks flushed. Amy bit her lip. "I—"

"You lied." The reprimanding tone surprised her. His gaze continued to examine the wrist carefully. "You said you were fine."

"It's not broken. I don't think," she retorted sensitively.

Shadow mulled it over. No. It didn't look broken. Sprained maybe, but not broken. "You're right. Nonetheless, you won't be of any use around the farm for now."

"Hey—"

"Get some sleep," he turned to the fridge and pulled out the milk. "It's almost ten-thirty."

So, without another word, though she desperately wanted to interrogate him, Amy left.

She wandered back to the couch and sat down, coughing lightly to clear her throat as brought the blankets over her. She almost got up to put away the ice pack she had left on the counter, but chose not to in the end.

Staring up at the ceiling, she listened to the sounds in the kitchen instead.

 _I don't like Shadow the Hedgehog._ She repeated in her head several times while her ears twitched to the sounds he made. _I don't like Shadow the Hedgehog._

 _I'm merely thinking like a crazed, obsessed girl. Sooner or later, I might be watching his every movement. I need to stop thinking like this._

 _I don't like Shadow the Hedgehog._

 _Even if he's attractive, it could never work. We're too opposite. We don't tick as friends or anything more. Silver is wrong._

 _I_ don't _like Shadow the Hedgehog._

Green eyes stared hopelessly at the ceiling still. Her wrist was curled up against her chest as she lay on her back.

 _He's blunt and rather rude. We've done nothing but repel each other. We're not even friends, really. Then again, he did say he would protect me. We had a moment in the store. A moment of friendship had happened. Maybe we'll get a long now._

 _But I don't like Shadow the Hedgehog._

Ten-forty-five and Shadow shut off the kitchen light. He padded across the room quietly. Amy held in her breath as she waited for him to leave.

"Goodnight, Rose."

And then he was gone. The door to his bedroom shut closed a few seconds later, and she was alone to comprehend his words (especially the nickname) while trying to sort her jumbling thoughts.

 _He seems to be warming up to me. Like he did with Sonic. Maybe we can actually be good friends. Even after everything I said and everything he said, we've managed to fix the broken things between us rather than throw it all away and be enemies. He wasn't trying to be nice to me before, but at the store he was—that's undeniable._

The ceiling seemed to be an escape—a blank canvas for her to stare at and draw pictures while trying to get rid of her girlish thoughts.

 _I just have to ignore the tingles and not take his words as more than they actually mean—he's not interested. I'm not interested. We're nothing but friends now. We can work through this and even if Sonic and Sarah leave, I can at least survive living with him until I get back on my own two feet._

 _But I don't like Shadow the Hedgehog._

Her chest breathed up heavily and back down just as hard. Her toes curled against the sofa arm, and her wrist was completely numb against her collarbone.

Tired eyelids fluttered and then closed to join the household in much needed sleep.

 _I can't._

* * *

The next morning was quiet.

Amy woke up near seven again and the house was completely empty. She wandered around for a moment to see if the others had accidentally slept in too, but no one was there.

Butch decided to follow her though, with his brown eyes looking up at her expectantly and his tongue hanging out like usual.

"Where is everybody?" she murmured to herself as she strolled to the kitchen, clutching onto the wrist.

The ice pack that she had left on the counter last night was gone. Looking in the freezer, she lightly smiled. Shadow had placed it back in the freezer for her after sending her off to bed.

It was Thursday. But only a little past seven by the time Amy started to cook breakfast.

"Sarah might've left early, but what for? She teaches preschoolers, not high schoolers. And it only takes fifteen minutes to get to the school if you drive the speed limit," she mused as she made herself scrambled eggs and toast.

Butch listened with attentive ears and a watchful gaze. Although his mind was probably on the food, Amy figured talking to the dog was better than talking to herself this early.

"Sonic doesn't have to be at work until eight. So why would he leave early? And Shadow feeds animals at five. If he had nothing to do yesterday, I don't think he would have anything to do today. That's odd. It's like everybody disappeared."

The dog's tail thumped against the drawer beside the oven. Amy smiled gently and sighed to herself.

"Now what should _I_ do today? Well, a number of things, really. I can call Rouge and get that over with. I don't know if I should talk to Cream yet. She'd probably be at school right now or getting ready or still sleeping—depending on the time where she's at. I'll call her Saturday."

She eyed the phone on the counter. "Rouge would be up though."

And the bat didn't work in the mornings anymore, so it worked perfectly as destiny would have it. Rouge took that time off to be with the kids, who were supposed to start kindergarten soon. So, Amy grabbed the phone and dialed Rouge's cellphone number—the numbers engraved into Amy's memory.

Rouge answered on the third ring, probably having to take a moment to figure out who exactly was calling her, but the bat proved to be sharp. " _Amy?"_

"Hey, Rouge. Good morning. Are you busy?" _Please be busy._

" _No. Actually, I just got the twins breakfast. They were a little late getting out of bed this morning. Knuckles is watching TV with them now. Is something wrong?"_ The white female asked with concern laced in her tone.

Amy pursed her lips.

How was she supposed to say this?

"No…Well, kind of. Among other things, there is _one_ thing in particular," Amy set the scrambled eggs on her plate and turned off the oven. The phone balanced in her other hand.

" _And what's that?"_

"Um…Well, you see." Amy did her best to swallow the giant rock in her throat. She grabbed her burning toast and practically flung it to the plate. Pulling out the plug for the toaster, Amy grabbed her plate of food and settled down at the table.

"I might have said something to Sonic and Shadow—"

" _And you've made mortal enemies out of them?"_

"No."

Amy thought about a glass of water or a glass of something so she could drink from it and waste more time before telling Rouge the secret was out and walking about.

"I told them, Rouge."

There was a long pause.

A very long pause.

And it killed Amy to think that Rouge was on the other end trying to deal with the news— _her_ news. That now somebody else said without her permission. Amy, no less.

And then the bat hung up.

Deadline.

The click went off in Amy's ears and the tears prickled her eyes. She set the phone down on the table before hearing the familiar chime of her cellphone receiving a text. The tears were sucked back up magically and disappeared as Amy ran to the phone with Butch at her heels.

She grabbed the phone within her purse and happily, yet dreadfully, looked at the text from Rouge.

 _Skype. Now. –Rouge_

* * *

The morning could've gone better for either of them.

Amy twiddled her thumbs while sitting at the kitchen table—her laptop rested in front of her and displayed Rouge's face. The bat was silent and emotionless. It made the rose hedgehog fear for her life a bit more.

But Rouge hadn't shut her out completely. That was the good news.

 _She's at least still my friend. For a little while._

" _Amy, you had no right_ …" When Rouge finally did speak, she chose the words that teared Amy apart the worse way imaginable.

Her ears flipped back and her gaze pointed low. "I know," she nearly whispered. Her fingers were still clasped tightly. "I'm so sorry, Rouge. But I was thinking about everyone coming to the wedding and things just happened—I mean, Shadow kept pushing and then I decided it was now or never, ya know?"

Rouge's eyes turned a bit colder at that moment. _"Now or never? Amy, you had no right to go and tell them that. I'm disappointed in you, but mostly angry. First, you push me out of your problems without me ever knowing about them. And now you think you can tell everyone about the one thing I wanted to keep from them."_

"Why?"

Amy glared through the screen. It wasn't the best picture, but she could still see Rouge and Rouge could still see her glower, so that was good.

"So you could wait until they accidentally found out? You shouldn't have kept that from any of them—especially Shadow. I did the right thing because I want the group to come to Sonic's wedding. After all these years, it's the least everyone could do."

The bat stayed quiet for a moment longer than usual. Amy continued to stare hard at Rouge, as if she were trying to force her point into Rouge's brain.

" _What did Shadow say?"_

"Nothing. But I can feel he's…hurt. He doesn't show emotions well, Rouge. We both know that. How do you think he'd feel? Then again, I don't see why he's all worked up. You both hid things from one another."

That caught Rouge's attention. She lifted her head slightly. _"What things? What things has Shadow hid from his best friend?"_

Green eyes watched the screen vigilantly as she spoke. "Scourge is back. He's been back for a long time and he's still making their lives hell."

" _What happened between him and Shadow that was so bad?"_ Rouge snorted in disbelief. " _It can't be worse than what I went through."_

"No. It's not," Amy agreed. "But in some sense, you both don't have a reason to be upset with each other."

" _I'm not upset with Shadow—yet."_

"I know. But, Scourge attacked them a couple years ago." Amy licked her lips and sighed. "Shadow had to deal with a broken bone. And something tells me he isn't a fast healer anymore."

" _He's not. The portal did things, Amy. Not just to him. Some Mobians didn't even make it alive but most did. It was supposed to work without any effects. Next thing we knew, Shadow had a cold that coming Christmas."_

"He has one now," Amy mused. "You're not upset with him, then?"

" _Well, no. He's a big boy. I took care of my issue and he took care of his. There's no reason for people to know."_

"Now they do," Amy snapped. "I wanted everyone to reunite. Like a reunion. It would be nice. But what do you think the group would assume when they see you with twins?"

" _I wouldn't have gone. We live our own lives now, Amy."_

"We're still in touch."

Rouge exhaled unsteadily and deeply. " _That's different."_

"How is that different? How is any of this different?!" Amy hissed. "Just accept that they know, Rouge. It's not something you should be ashamed of. Everyone in the group will only take care of you if we're together. Why are you so adamant about pushing them away?"

" _Because I am ashamed. Of myself."_ The bat had never spoken such scary truth. Her voice was, for once, trembling. Her eyes were, for once, scared.

" _Tell me. Did Shadow believe it after he heard? Or was he quiet because he couldn't think I would land in such a situation? Because I, for once, was defenseless."_

"It happens, Rouge. You got something good out of it. That's the important part," Amy noted tenderly. "But please, don't be embarrassed to say you couldn't fight back. You're brave, Rouge. You took on parenthood before any of us. _You._ You called me. _Me,_ of all people, Rouge. And you did so courageously. If they can't accept that then they were never your friends."

Amy bit her bottom lip at Rouge's following silence—it was becoming to be something rather intimidating for the pink hedgehog, no matter who gave it. She sat patiently, however, and forever faithful.

The older female was lost in her train of thought. But finally, she broke the silence she'd influenced. _"How are they?"_

"Sonic told Tails, who took it pretty well. So, I'm guessing that Sonic and Sarah have both adjusted to the news. Again, it happens, Rouge. But Shadow…" Amy glanced away from the laptop screen—away from her friend. "I don't know how he feels exactly."

" _Curse Shadow the Hedgehog for being so resilient,"_ Rouge joked halfheartedly. Amy cracked a tiny grin in response. " _But I guess he's fine. He hasn't tried to contact me—to yell at me, more like it."_

"You assume he's hurt?"

Blue eyes stared at her with a confident gaze. " _I know he was, Amy. The question is if he's still hurt now?"_

Amy was about to respond, but she heard the familiar footsteps outside of someone walking towards the porch.

"Shhh!" she motioned Rouge to be silent as she listened.

Even though Scourge had commented on being disappointed that Shadow wasn't walking with a limp, it wasn't something the green hedgehog could've seen. He had to hear it. Amy had placed everyone's walk around the house the first few days.

Sarah walked with a silent shuffle. Sonic took longer steps. Shadow seemed to pause with almost every step he took. It wasn't until Scourge's words that Amy puzzled together that it was the invincible limp. While one could not see Shadow's limp, they could hear the difference from his new walk to his old walk. Amy barely recalled his original walk to be more poised, quicker, and definitely without the pause.

So, the pause in the step outside was a big hint to who was coming.

Plus, it could've only been Shadow.

Amy bit her tongue as Shadow opened the door and entered the house.

He closed the door behind him as his head hung lower than usual. His eyelids were almost closed, and Amy could tell his breathing was a bit wheezier than it had been yesterday.

His cold was getting worse.

The reminder made her swallow and cringe at the soreness in her throat. The illness seemed to be passing through still.

"Good morning," Amy shyly greeted, forgetting that Rouge was there over _Skype._ She glanced at the white bat, who was quietly (and not to mention very intently) listening and waiting. "Where were you?"

"Morning," he mumbled, "Feeding animals. Slept in."

The words were cut shorter and not even complete sentences. His voice sounded cracked, showing Amy the cold was actually worse than it looked, and it already looked worse.

He glanced at the computer lowly for a mere second and then was on his merry way to the fridge. "What are you doing?"

"Talking to Rouge."

Seeing as his response was silence, Amy glimpsed at Rouge. The ivory mother motioned for Amy to continue with the conversation.

"Over _Skype_ ," she nearly stuttered but was glad when the two words were out. The twenty-two-year-old watched her host suspiciously. "You know, where you talk to them—"

"I know what it is."

Amy shut her trap, but didn't have to look at Rouge to know what the bat wanted to do. "Do you want to speak with her?"

"She's listening, isn't she?"

"Yes…"

Shadow exhaled in annoyance as he set the milk carton back in the fridge. He closed his eyes while holding the handle of the fridge rougher than needed.

Could he do this? Could he face Rouge—not in person, but still facing—after still feeling deceived?

It took one to spill a secret and it took one to hold a grudge. He was the latter still, and he wasn't sure how to get rid of the feeling of betrayal. It'd be a leech on him for most of his life.

Slowly, he moseyed to the chair Amy was in. She slid out as he sat down and stared at the screen.

His breath was lost, and so were his thoughts, the moment he saw Rouge.

She had changed. A lot. Eight years had it been? She left for Florida and he…well, he disappeared from the cruel judgement of humanity. They didn't speak to each other for eight years.

And here he was. Here she was. Staring at one another deeply and trying to think of words to say. Neither could do so.

Screw betrayal.

Guilt pushed harder against Shadow until it suffocated him.

How could he have not at least stayed in contact with his only true friend? What if she had _died_? Would he have even known?

 _This was a bad idea. I'm still processing that she's a mother and went through rape. I'm still trying to convince myself that it was really Rouge. I can't look her in the eyes right now, computer screen or not—it doesn't make it any less real. This is very much so real._

 _And I can't say a damn thing to her._

A boulder the size of a car felt like it was sliding down his throat as he gulped it down and tried to think of any words that, together, would make some sense.

She beat him to it.

" _Hey, tough guy."_

Amy wandered around the kitchen table, looking through the cupboard of food to look busy. Shadow couldn't even fold his arms in a comfortable position.

He didn't know what to do with himself as he suddenly became more and more tongue-tied. More and more pathetic to watch.

"Rouge." He coughed and cleared his throat before nodding at the screen. "How are you?" The words came slowly, as if he couldn't pronounce them without thinking hard.

" _I've been in better situations, but I've also been in worse."_

"So, I've heard…" He finally crossed his arms in a relaxed position that didn't make this anymore awkward for him. Shadow was still finding it difficult to look her in the eyes though.

" _I'm sorry, Shadow."_

"Why are you apologizing? I wasn't raped."

Amy wanted to smack him for being so blunt. Unbeknownst to her, Shadow wanted to do the same thing to himself. His lips pressed tightly together after the words shot out of his mouth by accident.

" _Well, maybe the world would actually pity you then,"_ Rouge spoke rather calmly. " _Unfortunately, you couldn't get anything good out of it—seeing as you can't carry children for nine months in you."_

"Thank God."

Rouge's lips twitched upwards. _"They're like you in some ways. Estranged from people and judged a bit for their likes. Not cruel however—though I've heard good things."_

Red eyes found the blushing female behind him trying to hide behind the cupboard door. "Have you now? I wonder who could've told you that."

" _A little birdie you should take good care of, Shadow. She's a lot like how I was when I went through hard times. Lost, alone, and afraid. Broken wings and couldn't fly."_

He didn't want to admit it, but he thought he saw water gathering in her eyes. Shadow couldn't allow for that, even if the words touched the beating heart under his ribcage—and even though he wouldn't admit it. Still, his words came out as whispers, whether he didn't want Amy to hear or whether he didn't fully want to say them out loud, "I'm trying my best…"

" _Good. Because if I hear so much as one bad thing about you, I am turning Angry Momma mode on full blast."_

Shadow smirked as he finally looked her in the eyes. Those blue eyes were still warm towards him after eight years. "Mission accepted."

" _That's what I like to hear_ ," Rouge's grin grew wider as she leaned forward on her desk and stared at Shadow. _"Now, tell me. How's life been?"_

Before Amy could hear anything else, she walked away and into the living room. It wasn't any of her business, she decided.

Plus, it was the first time in eight years that Shadow and Rouge had spoken to each other.

And best friends needed some solitude to reunite after so long.

* * *

It had been a little past eight when the two had begun talking, and it wasn't until nearly ten when it finally ended.

" _Don't be a stranger, Shadow_ ," Rouge lightly smiled at him gently.

Shadow snorted. "Then you do the same."

" _I'll try. You might want to get Amy, though."_

"Right, I have no clue how to shut this program off." Shadow thought to himself as he looked around the screen, trying to figure it out.

There was a slight laugh. _"I sort of meant you might want to nab Amy before anyone else does."_

Red eyes stared at Rouge as if she had grown three heads. When he realized she was being serious, Shadow groaned, "Not you, too."

" _Oh? Sonic's leaving the nest and doesn't want his buddy alone forever? I see his point—I mean, you don't really want to be single and alone forever, do you?"_ Rouge wondered as curiosity caked her voice.

Shadow swallowed heavily as he slumped in the chair. There were some things he could talk about with Sonic and others he couldn't. Like feelings. It wasn't something Shadow normally did—with anyone. But he knew that if he did talk to anyone about them, the first would be to Rouge.

The bat was always understanding and willing to give advice. He just had to get through the teasing words and find that advice himself—so, she didn't make it easy on him.

"Being an outcast in society definitely changes things, Rouge. People think they're nobody in high school because so many others are in different cliques and judge them. They have no clue what it's like to have billions of people to hate them though. I could barely walk the streets without getting bad attention."

" _So? That doesn't mean Amy's quick to judge."_

"She—" He was going to say she already had. But Rouge would probably only give Amy beef. And for some reason, Shadow didn't want to cause a rift between the two. It was obvious there had been some tension between the females, most likely because Amy told them the clandestine without Rouge's permission.

" _She what?"_

"Things will always be difficult for me, Rouge," Shadow finally answered as he browsed away at the only window without curtains drawn. "Even if I settled down, what would people think? They'd find out eventually. They'd be quick to judge _her_. Whoever she was, of course. And kids are out of the question. If one so much resembles me even slightly, society will be there to tear them down. I don't think I could watch that happen."

" _But you admit you don't want to be alone forever?"_

"Solitude was all I ever liked and sometimes not feeling is the only way to survive," Shadow grumbled. "Even more so when the humans treated me like the bad leftovers. And then Sonic and Tails came along and they…after four years of being a part, they found me—helped me survive _with_ feelings. I tried not to enjoy the company."

" _But you did. Anyone in solitary confinement would, wouldn't they? Where did you go in the first four years?"_ Rouge questioned. " _I don't exactly see you helping shelters or something in hiding."_

"Around. Canada, mostly," Shadow confessed as he cleared his throat. Yet another cough was building up and Rouge had already expressed her worry about this year's cold. "I was always drifting from town to town though, wherever they may be."

" _And going so long on your own, finally hearing from someone that didn't shun you immediately—didn't act like you were a killing robot. You liked it."_ Rouge guessed correctly time and time again, but this time, it never made the truth seem so hard for the ebony male to take. " _But you don't like to get attached ever since Maria."_

"Yes," he whispered and shivered in the breeze of the room. "Four years later and here I am—trying to tell you that my future won't be as easy as the others' will. Sonic could marry whomever and he'll always be fine. Sarah doesn't like the attention so much, so she stays away from crowded places. Amy still has her future, though. It won't be dragged down by the likes of me."

" _You have a future, also. So, what if humans try and drag your potential wife and kid down? I, for one, like the idea of a mini Shadow running around. And I also know they wouldn't care if the world hated on them—if they had someone like Amy's spirit."_

"I'm not interested, bat."

" _Sure, but doesn't mean you can't be."_

"You're starting to sound an awful lot like Sonic right now."

Rouge shrugged with the sly grin rested across her muzzle. " _It's the truth. Just watch it, Shadow. If you don't want to fall for the girl, you better try your best not to. After all, the more you hide your feelings, the more they show. But the more you deny your feelings, the more they grow."_

He raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "What are you saying?"

" _Be careful, Hun, because if you step as much as one centimeter into Love's territory, you're playing the game. And it's not always a forgiving, joyful ride."_

"I'll keep that in mind," Shadow scoffed lightly but did his best to acknowledge her advice. She was being sincere after all. "Is that all, O Wise Bat?"

" _No."_

"What then? Before I get Amy to shut this thing down, or better yet, do it myself."

Rouge stared at him with a soft gaze. Her hand reached up to her collarbone as she held the necklace around her neck. Shadow hadn't noticed it until now. He was still taking in her different appearance—though it was mostly the longer hair and growing bangs.

" _Even if you don't end up loving Amy, treat her good. For me? It's the least you could do."_

"I will," he promised as he got closer to the screen. It took a while before he remembered that it was just a screen. Rouge wasn't really there.

" _At least be her friend. You won't regret it."_

Shadow's mouth twitched upwards as he nodded gently.

Amy Rose was surprisingly interesting to him. Although, he didn't know what feelings were directed to her at the moment, he had the notion they were all good. And he also had the idea that being her friend wouldn't be so bad.

Shadow was getting attached and he knew it. He was crossing the point of no return.

The ebony male just never anticipated he'd crossed too far.

* * *

" _I don't know what you're talking about, Amy. Shadow hasn't changed in the slightest."_

Amy huffed in amusement as she was now placed in the chair. Shadow made himself something to eat while listening, as it was time for Rouge to go.

"If you say so, Rouge. Then again, you know him better than I do."

" _For now,"_ Rouge droned as she looked at her nails. " _Unfortunately, you're living with him now so I won't be able to keep an eye on you two. I swear, I only had two kids but sometimes, it feels like I have five."_

Amy giggled. "C'mon, Knuckles can't be that bad."

" _Some days…So about this wedding."_

"It's in May."

" _Right, well…"_ Rouge bit her lip in thought. " _I can't just take work off. I'm always writing as a journalist. But I think we should head over there sooner than later. Don't you?"_

Amy choked on the water she had sipped from her glass. "What? As in _now_? It's not anywhere near the wedding."

" _Yes, well, it does sneak up on you fast. Plus, it'll give me lots of time to look around there, maybe get a few stories down. To write in that environment for work, Miss Rose, I must live in it. Even if it's only for a few weeks."_

"Rouge, that's insane. Just wait until the wedding. Tails will let you stay at his house, by the way."

" _Is it free sometime next week?"_

"Rouge!" Amy found herself laughing but there was some skepticism involved. "You can't be serious."

" _Of course, I'm serious,"_ Rouge scoffed. " _I take my job very seriously, you know. It's what gets the food on the table and the roof over my head."_

"Are you sure you aren't trying to be here quicker so you can see me sooner?" Amy teased.

" _Well, there's always that too."_

"Rouge…" Amy breathed out a heavy sigh. "I don't know about this. You don't do anything drastic. It's just a wedding."

The twenty-eight-year-old exhaled gently as she stared at Amy through the screen with a motherly gaze. _"Something's telling me to, Amy. Besides, if you get the others involved as well, we might need those few weeks to catch up."_

"Then we'll get comfortable, and it'll be harder to leave," Amy murmured sadly. "I don't know how I'll say goodbye to you, Silver, and Blaze when you three have been my rocks for so long."

" _Then don't, Amy."_

~.~

It was twelve-thirty, and the day was ticking by like a turtle stuck in mud.

Amy sat at the kitchen table most of the afternoon. Her laptop had since been retired to its spot beside her makeshift bed on the couch. She traced the wooden pattern of the table and sighed in the silent room.

Shadow had disappeared after Rouge had to go.

 _Rouge…_ Amy thought with a pang in her chest. _She's coming here to see us. She's coming early to spend time with us. Weeks before the wedding, and she decides to pack up her bags and leave_ now _._

 _I guess there's nothing really wrong with it._

 _She's just never been one to take such big moves, especially with the twins. Rouge has always been a bit protective over them. I see why, though—I mean, any mother would (or at least should) feel the need to protect her child. But I can't believe Rouge would do this so on the spur of the moment._

 _I hope she knows what she's doing._

Amy was left to worry over her friend. At least Rouge hadn't killed her. That was the upside. And also, they would be arriving sometime sooner rather than later. The only thing she was truly terrified over was what was going on in Rouge's mind.

It was hard to read the bat sometimes, but not as hard as trying to figure out Shadow. Rouge was the 100 piece puzzle. Shadow was the 1000 piece puzzle. It seemed both had similarities though, since as soon as it seemed Amy understood one of them, the last puzzle piece wouldn't fit.

It always left her looking for her mistake.

Getting up from the chair, Amy opened one of the cupboards and looked for any type of food.

To keep from stressing over something, she'd created a habit of baking. Or sleeping. And seeing as she had enough beauty sleep last night, she might as well bake.

Her wrist still hurt from time to time, but it began acting up again as soon as she had the rolling pin out. Amy groaned in frustration. While the damned wrist took her mind off of Rouge and the bat's decision, it wasn't very soothing.

It was painful.

She stopped at one point, trying to clear her thoughts and trying to ease the pain in her wrist. The dough rested under the roller pin and the bowl next to her elbow. She wiped her nose, getting flour on it in the process, but she didn't care.

Failing to hear the door open and close softly, Amy went back to the roller pin.

Rolling once, her wrist tweaked and she bit her lip. This time it hurt even worse. Little pangs turned into sharp tugs.

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

Startled, Amy twisted around. Not surprised to see Shadow, but still surprised nonetheless, Amy brought her hand to her collarbone. "Is this going to be a habit with you? Hopping around the place and scaring people?"

"I'm hardly hopping," Shadow said with slight humor as he walked closer to her. She was cornered between him and the counters in less than a second. "Now, what do you think you're doing?"

"Baking," Amy mumbled, as if she were a child just caught doing something they weren't supposed to. "It helps me from getting stressed, but…"

His fingers touched her wrist, and the tingles returned. It was hardly noticeable now, but the warmth was still strong. She merely expected the sparks this time and wasn't thrown off balance when they arrived.

Inspecting the wrist, Shadow hummed in a chastising tune. "You should know better. We have some self-adhering elastic bandages in the bathroom."

"I'm fine—honest. I'm just being a baby."

He muttered something under his breath as he dragged her to the bathroom. Amy didn't try to fight him physically, but verbally—yes.

She did her best to convince him that her wrist would be better, but he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Sure enough, he pulled out the bandage, but she knew it as a sports wrap. "Shadow—"

"You can't even take care of yourself," he grumbled as he gently gripped her wrist and wrapped the bandage around until it was out of its roll. Her wrist was completely wrapped and practically immovable.

She frowned and touched the wrap. Shadow's hand was there to swat her away from it. "Don't you dare take it off, Amy."

"Is this the thing Rouge was talking about?" Amy suddenly asked. They were caught in silence as she stared up at him, meeting those vermillion eyes she found herself lost in from time to time. "About taking good care of the little birdie?"

"And if it is?"

His tone was calm and alluring to her. But Amy did her best not to think like a teenage girl. She did her best not to swoon.

"Thank you."

"Hmph. You should still take care of yourself," Shadow scoffed as he brushed shoulders with her and left the bathroom. "No wonder you're stuck here."

Amy glared at the shower curtain as she listened to his words. It wasn't long before she was racing after the damn hedgehog.

"Hey, take that back!"

* * *

The day passed, but not quickly. Still, soon it was night and Amy was nestled into the couch with the blanket over her.

The TV was on as Sarah sat on the other couch and yawned. It was nearly nine-thirty. The clock was ticking towards the Friday that Sarah couldn't stop talking about. It was a no school day.

"Teacher collaboration day, but I don't need to go. The other preschool teacher doesn't either."

"There's more than one?" Amy mumbled and then coughed. "But it's such a small town."

"For now there's more than one." Sarah shrugged as she thought about Amy's words. "It's kind of weird. There are years when there are hardly forty kids. And then there are the years where a baby boom hits the town and we're dealing with over forty kids in each grade."

Amy raised her eyebrow. "There are forty kids to _each grade?_ There are that many children in this small town?"

"Towns. Yes. A few from the two towns a bit further out. Plus, you're forgetting this is a Mormon community. They have lots of kids."

"I was thought that was all bogus," Amy said. She didn't quite understand the religion, and she hadn't heard about it until coming further west. Apparently, they were big in the other state beside them called Utah.

Sarah shrugged once more. "The Mormons around here have lots of kids. I talked to one parent about it before and they went on some religion talk and tried to convert me. They were really weird…Not because of their religion, per say. The person in general," Sarah assured. "I taught one of her kids and met her husband. They're a…polygamist group. Even if other Mormons in other cities don't practice polygamy, these people in the valley do. At least some."

"So, there are lots of kids around here because of the religion?"

"Not just the religion," Sarah shook her head. "We're farmers. Once the humans all moved west and slaves were free, they did the next thing besides hiring hands, since some of the new farmers were poor."

"Having kids to work on the farm for them," Amy guessed.

"Exactly," Sarah confirmed with a nod.

She was a bit of a history nerd, Amy noticed—loving to learn more about the history of both Earth and Mobius. Amy found herself becoming interested the more Sarah ever talked about anything historical. It seemed to put the lime green female at ease with talking and not being socially awkward.

"It's not exactly new to see farming communities having lots of kids in their families—at least not back in the 1800's. Generations and generations pass and we still see that pattern of lots of kids in some families, but the religion in this valley definitely spikes the number up a bit more. Compared to other families in the towns that are Christian, the Mormons have more kids in their households. I'm not going to go assuming things, but that's the best guess anyone's made that I've heard."

"So how many kids are you having?" Amy teased lightly as she wheezed. "Sonic seems pretty comfortable around his niece and nephew."

"Yes, well…" Sarah glanced away and back at the TV. "We haven't gotten that far to talk about kids, but I'm not exactly the kid loving person."

"Yet you're a preschool teacher?" Amy snorted in humor. The cough medicine was definitely making her loopy—she had no tolerance for medication, much less alcohol. "That's a laugh."

Sarah cracked a small smile. "It is, isn't it? I don't know, I wanted to teach high schoolers but then switched to preschoolers. I like some other kids, but not usually. I guess the push was that even though the parents in this town might be rude to some people, the kids are nice. At least until they hit second grade. And I liked this town a lot. I didn't want to move."

"Despite not liking religion?"

She nodded once and called it good. "I skipped past that fact. I just never knew what to believe, and then, I decided I wouldn't. I would let others believe what they wanted and I would respect that as long as they accepted that I'm not religious. The other preschool teacher was the first to actually open up to me in this town. We've become good friends."

"What's her name?"

" _His_ ," Sarah corrected with a smirk. "Peter Worthington. He's a Christian and didn't mind that I was I different from the people in the valley. Although, it wasn't until I started to date Sonic that I became more respected."

"That's a shame."

"It is. The way people think in this town is a little annoying at times."

Amy mulled the thought over. "What would've happened if you hadn't met Sonic, or dated him at least?"

Sarah curled up into a ball and stared at the pink hedgehog. She lifted her elbow on the sofa arm and put her cheek in the palm of her hand. Sighing, Sarah looked rather knowing but in a more depressing manner. "I probably would've stayed in town at my apartment, met up with my ex from college and married him. I most likely wouldn't have taught out here either because of the long drive, but that's where most teachers are from. They aren't from the valley."

"Ex from college? Oh, this is getting good," Amy giggled as she leaned closer.

She hadn't the slightest clue where Shadow and Sonic were. But the running water of the shower suggested that Sonic was washing up. And Shadow was mostly in his bed, trying to get rid of the cold.

Sarah rolled her eyes and flipped onto her back.

"Yeah. We were serious all throughout college and then got into a big fight, so he called it quits. I didn't mind after a while. I went out here, began teaching, and then I met up with a college buddy who was looking for Hunter's Ed classes. I remembered they taught them at the school at night—some old veteran and some other guy. I signed us up, thinking it would be a new hobby to take my mind off the breakup."

"And you met Sonic."

"He stole my seat," Sarah grumbled gloomily but in a lighthearted manner. "I could tell from the start he was a flirt."

"Hmhm. Arrogant and flirty, I presume?" Amy laughed.

"You presume correctly," Sarah confessed. She sighed and stretched. "I vowed I would get my seat the next week we went. Then I saw the power of speed from Sonic himself. He was seated in a different spot and just waiting for me. As soon I got to my seat, there were papers everywhere and Shadow didn't look impressed, but Sonic did."

"He stole your seat again," Amy sang. She smiled as Sarah shared her memory, "So what about the ex? How do you know that you would've gotten back with him?"

"Well, five sessions passed—five weeks—and I couldn't get my seat. So, I chose another one and ignored Sonic the entire fifth day. Apparently that signaled that I liked him. So he asked me out. I went home that night feeling better than ever had after the breakup. And then, _he_ was there—as fate would have it. My ex stood at my apartment door, wondering where I had been—he called all of my friends and they had no clue. He was worried sick and wanted to get back together."

"But only a great fool would say yes and give up the chance to date Sonic the Hedgehog," Amy stated with confidence.

"Yeah," Sarah agreed with an amused look. "I told him no and that I met someone else. He was definitely peeved and wanted to know who it was. He wouldn't let it go. So, I told him it was Sonic the Hedgehog."

"He probably thought you were a crazy fan girl then."

"That's _exactly_ what he thought. He tried to convince me that I didn't know Sonic and it was all in my head. So, I invited him to the Hunter's Ed class with me to prove him wrong."

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes."

"What happened?"

"Sonic was shocked to see someone else with me, rather than my other buddy. He was still there, but my ex went too. So I walk in with two guys—one was a very good friend and the other was my ex. What do you _think_ happened?"

"Well, I would like to say Sonic got jealous," Amy guessed. She pursed her lips in concentration. "But Sonic doesn't show jealousy easily. So, he was probably making friends with your ex and also bragging about himself."

"Surprisingly, no."

Amy lifted her head and raised her eyebrows. "Seriously? Sonic the Hedgehog actually _showed_ jealousy? I guess that makes you The One for him."

"I guess," Sarah shrugged nonchalantly. "I told him about my ex when my ex went out to get a drink of water. Sonic totally understood and knew that I wanted to get rid of my ex before ever getting back together with him. So, Sonic—after showing his little jealous pout the first half hour of the class—decided to turn things up a notch. He just had to go out in style."

"Sonic always does."

"So, he openly asked where I wanted to go on our date tomorrow evening. Now, we hadn't scheduled a date _night—_ just a date. I had no clue when it would be. Sonic was just doing that himself, and my ex had never been so…"

"Angry? Jealous? Hurt? What?" Amy pressed with interest.

"Hilarious looking in my life," Sarah laughed rather loudly. "His face—I can't even describe it. You had to have been there, Amy."

"I wish I had now," the pink hedgehog murmured with a grin against her pillow. "So, now what's your ex up to?"

"I have no clue. He vanished completely that night. Said goodnight to me and wished me luck and then he left."

"Now you're getting _married_ to Sonic the Hedgehog. Only one girl in the universe could say they're the wife of Ogilvie Maurice the Hedgehog and that is you."

Sarah gave her confused look—beyond confused. "What?"

Amy tiredly glanced at Sarah, still in her state of dopiness. "That's Sonic's real name. Or at least was in Mobius. I think he changed it legally to Sonic the Hedgehog during the two years the group was together."

"His name…was Ogilvie?" Sarah took a moment to say it and still pronounced it wrong. "Oh, my God, he's never living that down."

"I shouldn't have told you that." Amy looked at her with a serious, concerned gaze as she saw the evil gears turning in Sarah's head. "I should not have said that."

"Oh, Amy," Sarah got up and kissed Amy's forehead, pressing her hands against Amy's cheeks. "You were brought here to tell me this—"

"No," Amy whispered frightfully but giggled.

"—So I could marry Sonic but put Ogilvie Maurice on the wedding cake—"

" _Nooooo_ ," Amy's laughter was completely insane now as she let a tear slip down her face. "He _hated_ the name!"

"—Or when we have our first kid, I could suggest the name Ogilvie Maurice the Hedgehog—"

Amy was laughing so hard that it would've put a maniac's laughter to shame. The cough syrup was definitely taking its toll in the perfect situation.

Sarah kept holding Amy's cheeks while grinning at the ridiculous female. "Oh, thank you, Amy!" She put her hands in the air, letting go of Amy, and whooped. "You have brought me this glorious gift!"

"Could you two be any louder?" Shadow grumbled as he emerged from his bedroom and out of the hallway. He glared at the two females. "Sarah, leave Amy alone."

"Or what?" Sarah snorted as she slumped and looked at Shadow. "You gonna throw me out the window because I'm bugging your crush?"

Shadow sighed and a wheeze came out in turn. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes before speaking in his slightly altered voice due to the sickness that had claimed him. "I assure you, that's not the reason. Simply because Amy is clearly not well and she cannot take medication as well as others can," he calmly motioned to the insane female on the couch.

"I'm _fine!"_ Amy giggled noisily, "Shaddie, why aren't _youuuu_ having as much fun as _I'mmmm_ having?!" She busted out into another fit of laughter.

Shadow's eye twitched in annoyance at the nickname. But he knew he had to be patient with the loopy hedgehog on his sofa. "Get some rest, Amy. It's late and you aren't feeling well."

" _I feel fine_!" she kept singing to herself as the bathroom door opened.

"Sounds like a party out here," Sonic commented flippantly as he put his clothes in the hamper and walked into the room with his pajamas on. He raised an eyebrow at the scene however.

Shadow looked on the verge of hurling or passing out. Sarah was chortling as she took glimpses at her fiancé and then looked away. Amy was beat red while laughing so hard that tears streamed down her cheeks.

"This is happening…" Sonic slowly padded over to Shadow and clasped the male's shoulder. "Why don't you get some rest?"

Shadow grunted and turned back to the hallway, where he disappeared in the darkness. Sonic was left with the two females—one harebrained and the other not. "Okay, Amy, why don't we get you to bed?"

"Okie dokie."

Sonic rolled his eyes as he tucked her in and she calmed down for the most part. He patted the top of her head and ruffled her bangs a bit before walking to his bedroom door. He glanced back upon noticing that Sarah wasn't following.

She was standing beside the rocking chair that was in front of the window. Sarah folded her arms and looked at Sonic with a smirk.

"What?" Sonic inquired with a questioning gaze.

"Oh, nothing."

"Okay..." He turned and gripped the doorknob.

Sonic couldn't shake the feeling off that something was a bit different. That Amy or Sarah had said something about him, found it humorous, and decided to keep it a secret between them.

 _They're just being girls. At least they're getting along._ He reassured himself as he shook his head and opened the bedroom door, at least until his fiancée broke the silence.

" _Goodnight, Ogilvie."_

* * *

The sunlight rays beamed through the window, and Amy cursed herself for not shutting the curtains.

She groaned and tried to untangle herself from the mess of blanket she was in. Her pillow had hit the ground sometime in the night. Butch rested his head on it and peered up at her upon listening to her annoyed sounds.

Amy stretched, minding her wrist, and looked up at the ceiling. "It's Friday…" She sighed happily and snuggled into the blankets, remembering she didn't have to feed animals due to her wrist.

It wasn't a second later when someone's lips were up against her ear. "Hey. Hey, Amy." A laugh. "Wakie, wakie."

Amy swatted at the figure and opened her eyes tiredly to look up at Sarah. The brown eyes were gazing down at her, glazed with humor. "How was your dream?"

"I don't remember," Amy muttered as she rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Why?"

"You were moaning."

Sarah's grin slowly appeared and she bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing at Amy's wide eyes. The rose hedgehog failed to notice the two males of the household watching her. Sonic leaned up against the wall by the other couch and smirked. Shadow made his move towards the couch Amy was on and leaned on the back of it, startling Amy.

Now she noticed all three.

"I…It was a nightmare?"

"Really?" Sarah teased with bright eyes. "It seemed more like a sexy dream, if you ask me."

Amy wrapped herself around the blanket and flushed. "Well, you would know."

"So, what was it?" Sarah pressed and leaned closer with a joking and humorous stare. "Was it Silver?" she whispered.

Shadow huffed and glanced away, "Like those two would ever be…intimate."

"Aw, I think someone's jealous," Sonic spoke from the back.

"I am not. I simply don't see them together." Shadow crossed his arms. "It doesn't make sense."

Amy sighed against the couch. "I told you all about us in the mall and you slept right through it because of your Frappuccino accident."

"Yeah, don't give them that stuff," Sarah stated rather seriously. "We tried that at a park and I lost both of them for about three hours."

"Where'd you find them?"

"I didn't. I just left and went home. Eventually, they found their way. Apparently, Sonic went to the next state over and Shadow crashed on the park bench."

"I take it better than Shadow," Sonic bragged. " _I_ had to bring his sorry ass home."

Shadow grumbled and then coughed. "Isn't there something for you two to do today?" He stared at the couple.

"If you wanted to be alone with Amy, you could just ask."

He glared daggers at Sarah. "For the last time, we're not interested in one another. Stop insinuating that I like her as anything more than a friend. It's not going to happen. I don't want to hear another thing from anyone or so help me, I _will_ kick her out."

Sarah went to open her mouth at the same time Sonic did. Amy beat them to it as she flailed her hands about, cringing mentally at the tweak in her wrist. "Shut up!" she pleaded. "Just shut up!"

Sonic paused before leaning back against the wall. "Well, Sarah and I are going to figure out our wedding cake. We're going to go look around town for other wedding stuff and get our invitations planned out as well."

"Cake?" Amy perked up.

"You can't come," Sarah tucked her back in. "You're sick. Now not as bad as Shadow, _yet_ , but we want both of you to stay home and rest. Try and not attract trouble, okay?"

"But cake…"

"I'm sorry, Amy," Sonic shook his head as he lifted himself up off the wall. Amy noticed both were dressed while Shadow remained shirtless and probably in his pajama pants (she couldn't see his legs because of the couch). "But you're staying here and inside."

"But I'll be good!" Amy begged. "I promise!"

"Good," Sarah grasped her shoulder softly. "Then Shadow won't have any complaints about you."

"I want cake though," Amy whispered. It was rather depressing to watch the two go around the corner. It was even harder to listen to the door shut as they said their goodbyes one more time. She turned to Shadow who was picking something off the couch. "Don't you want cake?"

"Never been a fan."

"Jeez, aren't you a killjoy. What'll happen when _you're_ the one picking out the wedding cake with _your_ fiancée?"

"As if that would happen," Shadow scoffed and walked around the couch. He grabbed the pillow off the floor and Butch stood up, staring at his owner with a loving gaze, though Shadow did not return it of course. "I'll get you a new pillow."

"It could happen," Amy yawned and nestled back into the couch. Her throat felt even rougher, and she wished for a glass of water. "You may never know."

He walked down the hallway and opened the closet door, rummaging through until he succeeded in finding a new pillow. Dog slobber and dog hair decorated the old pillow Amy had used. Throwing that one to the ground, he let Butch drag it downstairs for himself. The new pillow was under Shadow's arm as he walked back into the living room.

"Yes, but for that to actually happen, I would need to _mingle_ as you females call it. Or at least what Sarah calls it."

Amy lifted her head up long enough for Shadow to scooch the pillow under her head. She collapsed back on it and cuddled the blanket. "But you admit that you don't want to be alone forever?"

The words hit him as he made his way to the kitchen. He halted abruptly and paused, searching for words. With Rouge, he could explain it easily. Why? Because she…Well, because Rouge knew him. Amy didn't know him. Would she even understand that after so long, the solitude got boring and the company got addicting?

Would she understand that sometimes Shadow the Hedgehog craved conversation with another being that didn't immediately cast him as an outsider?

Would Amy Rose accept that the Ultimate Life Form had a weakness after eight years? Eight years was a long time—but long enough to gain a weakness, and gain a weakness was exactly what Shadow did. But he didn't see it as a weakness. He saw it as a nuisance.

" _But you admit that you don't want to be alone forever?"_

Those were the terms Rouge used. Now Amy was asking the same thing.

With both, he couldn't explain it to them exactly how he felt it. There were no words to describe it. But no, he didn't want to spend forever alone. Forever was a long time, and he felt like he had already spent too many years alone.

He was turning more like them. More needy for companionship. He was still far off from that shore, but it didn't make the swim any less different. There were others out there in the world going through what he was.

They just knew how to control and organize their emotions better than Shadow.

He was still trying to understand what it was that he felt for some people.

But did he want to spend his time single forever? Maybe he didn't have to find a mate, but he could at least have a friend. That was what Sonic had been for four years and he had made his impact on Shadow's life.

Now that Shadow knew that Sonic wasn't leaving the town, like he originally thought, it made everything easier to take. Sonic would still be there to keep him company if he ever covertly desired it.

So Amy could go.

Sonic had helped Shadow, like the other people in the community. They helped him, and although he would never admit it, Shadow liked the attention from time to time. Sure, he would disappear to do work alone, but coming home, he sometimes secretly enjoyed the babbling Sonic did.

Amy would never make the same mark as they did. He already had friends; he didn't need her to stay. Sonic was staying. He was still going to be there—Shadow wasn't going to be deserted.

So, Amy could get a job and never return.

They could all move on with their lives.

Or could they?

Shadow mulled it over as he stood there.

She was already so attached with the place. He could tell. And slowly, he knew his needy side was becoming attached to _her._

Plus, he promised Rouge. Being friends with Amy Rose couldn't be too bad, right?

But what was that saying? That friendship almost always ended up in love but never the other way around? Something like that.

There were parts of him that agreed with that saying and told him to distance himself away from Amy.

Then there was the other part of him, which focused on the word 'almost' in the phrase and decided that this time was the exception. That if he got close to Amy Rose, he wouldn't fall in love with her.

He couldn't possibly—He was the Ultimate Life Form.

He could control himself from falling for Love's game. Shadow the Hedgehog could not be beat. He still thought that way. So, to think that Love could actually beat him was preposterous.

Therefore, being friends with Amy Rose was all he would ever be. Because he wouldn't possibly fall for Love's tricks. He was Shadow the Hedgehog, after all.

He could be a stone if need be. Love had never cracked it before.

Then again, he never truly experienced _that_ kind of love. So, he had no clue what emotional rollercoaster was waiting behind Love's gate.

 _It doesn't matter what Rouge thinks. Two can be friends and not feel romantically for each other. Silver and Amy are the example. If Amy and I live together, that doesn't mean we love each other._

 _It's possible to stay just friends._

 _Love is an imaginary thing that won't ever exist in my life. Friends are all I have._

He glanced back at Amy, who had given up on waiting for his response and had fallen asleep again. He smirked lightly.

 _Who's to say I can't add one more on the list? That's all they are, after all._

 _Friends._

 _Nothing more and nothing less._

With that, Shadow left the pink hedgehog in the quietness of her sleep.

* * *

Amy awoke with a headache and a sore throat as usual.

She blamed it all on Shadow.

Walking through the kitchen, Amy looked through the cupboards and the fridge to see if there was anything that could've helped her growing illness.

 _How dare Shadow just give it to me._ She was joking…partially.

Like a zombie, Amy picked up the phone when it rang. "Hello?"

" _Hey, Amy. How you feeling?"_ Sarah's voice greeted her

Amy glared at the fridge lightly. "I want my damn cake, that's how I'm feeling."

" _Maybe if you're good, we'll stop off and get you some."_

Amy grumbled under her breath as she opened a cupboard she had already checked. "Do you guys have anything here that can help with this cold? Like, food wise?"

" _I keep some lemon-lime soda in the garage next to the food storage in there. Try that."_

"Thanks. How are things going with you guys?"

" _Well, I called to check up on you because Sonic can't decide whether the invitation card should be plain white or if it should incorporate the other colors. But again, it'll look like the Fourth of July."_

"Shouldn't have chosen blue and red."

" _Yes, well, Sonic's hard to say no to, and you look great in red. I say white invitations though. You?"_

"I don't know, I'm not good with this wedding stuff," Amy groaned as she rubbed her eyes. Her quills were stuck in different directions and her pajamas were ruffled. "But since I'm your Maid of Honor, what's the correct answer here?"

" _You agree with me."_

"Okay, I agree with you. White invitations."

" _Thanks, Amy! Try and feel better. Oh! Where's Shadow?"_

Amy studied the room as she tried to register who this Shadow was. Her headache was doing a number on her. "Who…I have no clue."

" _Okay, well, when you see him, tell him we're getting dinner for you guys. So don't eat anything."_

"But I'm hungry," Amy whined. She looked at the clock. "And it's barely past four. I slept that long?"

" _Did you just barely wake up? I don't think that's a good sign, but maybe it is. I don't know."_ Sarah sighed and some voices went off in the background. " _Listen, I've got to go. We'll try and be home by six."_

"Okay."

Sarah hung up and Amy was left alone again. The dog wasn't anywhere in sight either. Feeling like the plague, Amy walked into the cool garage and glanced around.

There was Shadow's truck. It blocked the view of practically everything. On the sides of the walls by her there were tools and a workbench. No food. Looking across, she noticed a shelf of food and other necessities.

Ambling towards the truck and going around it, Amy jumped when a clank went off in the garage. It was dark and smelled weird. She didn't like it.

As her imagination ran wild, Amy grabbed the lemon-lime soda at the bottom of the shelving of food. She glanced up and grabbed a packet of cookies and a box of cereal. Also some crackers.

Another clank.

 _What did Sarah say? Something about food. I'll grab some food. I'm hungry._

Amy ignored her imagination as it made up ghosts and monsters in the garage. Grabbing the food and balancing her pop can on top of everything, she immediately dropped it upon noticing one thing.

She bent down and picked up the bottle, reading its label.

"André wine…" Amy hummed and then glanced around, as if the monster in the garage would hate it if she took the wine. "I'm just gonna take this…"

Hurrying to the door, she escaped and went back inside the house.

~.~

Shadow returned from feeding animals a little early.

It was a little after five. He walked into the house via the garage/house door and entered the kitchen. The sight was something to behold.

Amy hiccupped against the counter. The wine bottle barely out of her grasp but looking to be almost half empty.

 _She's sick…and she drinks wine? Where the hell did she get it anyway?_

Blood begin to boil; Shadow marched over to her and grabbed the wine bottle. Amy actually opened her eyes and timidly grinned.

" _Hey,_ Shadow."

"What do you think you're doing?" he growled lowly as he walked to the sink and emptied the rest of the bottle. "You have a low tolerance for medication." He figured that out last night. "And now you're drinking _alcohol._ Jesus, Amy. You're sick. Wine is the last thing you need."

"Yes, Father," Amy tried to stay up right.

It was obvious she wasn't a heavy drinker or had much tolerance either.

Shadow set the bottle down and glanced at the time. The phone in his pocket began to vibrate and he hurriedly got it out. "Hello?" he snapped as he tried to grab Amy's arm. She chose to flail it all about instead.

"Noooo," Amy whined.

" _Hey! We got some food. Sarah called Amy earlier. Said something about lemon-lime soda. Did she find it all right? Is she feeling better?"_

Shadow glanced back and forth between the drunkard that kept slipping out of his grasp and the wine bottle in the sink. "Uh. Yeah."

" _So, yes to everything? You sound distracted."_

"Let go of me!" Amy yelled in a high pitch and annoyed.

Shadow gritted his teeth as he balanced the phone in his hand. "Sonic, I'm busy right now."

" _What the hell are you doing?"_ Sonic was exactly angered just yet. He was more curious than anything. " _Sarah could hear that. Is Amy all right?"_

"She's being a bit uncooperative at the moment." Shadow didn't want to say the rose hedgehog was drunk. It was Sarah's wine bottle, and the female hated it when someone took her things. Shadow could easily hide Amy so they wouldn't know she was drunk. And then he could replace the bottle before Sarah found out.

" _Shadow…"_ Sonic's tone turned dangerous.

"It's not what you think," Shadow assured as Amy yanked herself back and stumbled towards the kitchen table. She cried out and crumpled to the fall, unable to stand her drunken self up. Shadow groaned in frustration.

Sonic took it as a groan of sexual pleasure. _"Shadow, I swear to God, if you're doing anything to her—"_

"I have to go, Sonic. It's not what you think, trust me." He hung up, knowing the blue hedgehog would race home now. He shoved his phone in his pocket and flipped Amy over his shoulder.

She moaned as he walked to the living room.

 _Just hide the girl. Pretend she's sleeping downstairs. Hide the bottle. Or Sarah will have your head._

 _But if they come home and see Amy's not around, they'll think the worse. I could just hide the bottle and pretend Amy's asleep. Of course, they might wake her to ask if I forcefully had sex with her. And then they'd know she was drunk._

 _God, I can smell the wine on her anyway._

He set her down on the couch and zoomed off to deal with the bottle. That part was easy. He just had to race outside to the burn barrels, where they set their garbage on fire, and call it good. Unfortunately, he had to do it quick. Fortunately, that wouldn't be a problem.

But the world hated him.

So as soon as he came back in the house, he saw the one thing he didn't want to see. Amy was completely gone.

He circled the couch.

 _I'm 92% positive that I left her there. She was too drunk to even walk. But still, maybe she did._

Shadow flashed off to look around the house. He didn't even have to hide her, but that was the least of his worries. If Sonic and Sarah showed up now and noticed she was gone, they'd ask Shadow where she was. And Sonic knew what Shadow looked like panicked.

And the more and more Shadow searched, the more concerned he became.

Everything was as it was in the house. All the bedroom doors were still closed. She wasn't puking in the bathroom. She wasn't downstairs anywhere. She wasn't in the kitchen or the garage. It was like her body just went poof.

A poof that would ultimately be the reason of Shadow's death.

And the half hour passed with him calling her name and looking for her. Another half hour and he was desperate.

 _If Sonic sees that she's gone, he's going to murder me. At least, if Sarah doesn't beat him to it._

It wasn't typical for the Ultimate Life Form to fear things. Despite the growing fear that he would be deserted by the only people on Earth that had accepted him, Shadow was growing another fear.

That if he didn't find Amy soon, Sonic would have his head on a silver platter.

And then a car door slammed shut.

Shadow froze in the kitchen. Listening to the sounds of pounding footsteps, he wasn't surprised when Sonic yanked the door open and looked furious.

"Where is she?!"

The ebony male turned around. "I don't know."

Sonic stopped glaring upon seeing the concerned look Shadow had. It wasn't something he saw every day, and Shadow wasn't a good bluffer since he was always so blunt. It made both Shadow and Sarah easy to live with because they couldn't keep things a secret for long.

The blue hero paused. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I set her down. I left. Came back. Poof," Shadow motioned with his hands.

Sonic's eyes were slits again. Sarah walked through the door with some bags of food. She set them down on the bench that was a coat hanger and also shoe storage within the bench. Guardedly looking between the two, Sarah caught on.

"What'd you do?"

"Yes, Shadow, what _did_ you do?" Sonic hissed menacingly. His ears were folded back and his teeth were slightly barred.

Shadow swallowed and clutched the table. "I fed the animals, walked in and saw…a very intoxicated Amy—"

"My wine," Sarah muttered knowingly.

Sonic snarled however. "Don't tell me that you took advantage of her, Shadow."

"I did no such thing," he assured once more, placing his hands outward. "You called as I was getting rid of the rest of the alcohol. Amy could barely stand and while I tried to get her to bed—" Sonic growled and Shadow rethought his words. "—to the couch for her to sleep alone, you called. She was being uncooperative and that's what you heard. She fell to the ground because she couldn't keep her drunken ass up."

"And then what?" Sarah pressed. "She just disappeared?"

" _Yes,"_ Shadow explained exasperatedly. "I threw away the bottle in the burn barrels so Sarah wouldn't get upset that it was her wine Amy drank. I came back and Amy was gone. I've been looking for her since."

"And how long has it been?" Sonic's anger towards him was completely gone and replaced with worry.

"An hour."

"Shit."

* * *

The room was dark.

She had closed the door and it became even darker somehow.

Stumbling across the room, Amy ignored the door opening and shutting. Then Shadow's voice calling for her. The bed was too inviting to her drunken mind.

Collapsing on the sheets, Amy ignored the outside world and cuddled into the dark sheets. She shut her eyes for a second and her world went entirely blank.

What felt like a second later, but was actually an hour later, Amy awoke to the yelling of voices.

Her head pounded from her sickness, but mostly because of the alcohol. Groaning, Amy buried deeper into the pillow. She tried her best to block out the voices. Thankfully, they died down soon.

"AMY!"

And then they were back, but this time, they were calling for her. Sounded like Sarah. Or Sonic. Or maybe it was Shadow.

They all sounded alike at the moment as their footsteps rushed around the house.

~.~

"She's got to be outside," Sarah confirmed. "You checked the entire house, correct?"

"Of course," Shadow responded with a curt nod. "Anywhere she could be."

"It's already getting dark," Sonic noted as he stood beside the window. He glanced at Sarah and then at Shadow. Motioning to the latter, he said, "Get your flashlight. You and I are going to look for her. Sarah, stay here in case she comes back. Who knows where she is."

Shadow approved and hurried to his bedroom.

Sonic was left to make sure Sarah stayed, explaining to the female it was needed. Sarah continued to disagree and say she could help as well.

Anything could've happened to Amy if she were drunk and wondering outside.

She could've passed out in the tree line along the house. Or be freezing to death in the snow. Maybe she stumbled to the barn, thinking it was feeding time. What if she did something stupid and was knocked unconscious? Or worse, dead?

 _Don't think about it._ Shadow thought to himself as he opened his bedroom door and turned on the light.

The long, infuriated moan made him sigh in relief. He didn't need to look at his bed to know Amy had crashed there.

 _Why didn't I check the bedrooms? Well, the doors were still closed. I didn't see Amy shutting the door while intoxicated. I guess she did._

"Sonic! Sarah!" Shadow yelled loud enough for the couple to hear. He stared at Amy as she growled at him. "I found her."

Relieved words came from both of them. Sonic ran in first and swallowed heavily. "You didn't check the bedrooms?" he reprimanded. "And I thought the Ultimate Life Form was smart."

"Shut up. I didn't think she would've closed the door when drunk."

"He has a point," Sarah calmly agreed and watched as Shadow walked up to his side of the bed—the side where Amy was.

Well, she was actually more in the middle.

Shadow leaned over her and placed one hand above her head. "Amy?"

Another growl. Defensive and half asleep.

He rolled his eyes and nudged her. Eyes snapped open and Amy pushed him to the side, throwing up in his garbage can next to his bed. He thanked himself for putting it there.

"I'm gonna leave," Sarah whispered and vanished. Sonic remained and stood outside the doorway. He watched with a fatherly gaze.

"What should we do with her?"

"Put her up for adoption," Shadow stood straight and looked down at her.

Amy shakily glanced up. One of the tips of her quills was at the edge of her mouth with something that looked like food. "Just when I was beginning to like you."

"Just let her sleep here," Sonic suggested.

Shadow glared at him. "You don't want me to sleep with the girl, but you still want me with her. Where's the logic?"

"I don't want you to accidentally impregnate Amy Rose, which might happen since you're sexually awkward," Sonic bluntly teased. "So, avoiding sex altogether is for the best. But let her stay here for the night. She's been sleeping on a couch for too long."

"It's her bed," Shadow growled. "And I'm not sexually awkward."

Sonic scoffed, "Could've fooled me. Do the host-like thing and take the couch for once and let her have the bed. Or you know you could always sleep beside her."

Shadow just couldn't stop glowering Sonic to death. He sometimes hated his so-called friend a lot. "You little…"

"Don't think too long about it though," Sonic commented as he was ready to leave. "Dinner's here."

Whether it was the food or the good hospitality he could show for once in his life, Shadow left Amy there in his bed. He shut off the light and looked back at her. She stared just as emotionlessly. Nonetheless, she turned her body and went back to sleep as Shadow shut the door.

Shadow held the doorknob for a moment longer. Then Sonic called for him to get his food.

And he decided he could last one night on the couch.

* * *

The sofa sucked. That much Shadow figured out.

He felt a little guilty about making Amy sleep there. Butch didn't keep him warm though. Instead, the dog nestled beside the closed bedroom door—where Amy was on the other side and not letting him in. The dog whined and thumped his tail sadly.

Shadow stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep in such an uncomfortable place. The couch was meant to watch TV on.

Not sleep.

He couldn't sleep on the sofa. Yet he had let Amy sleep there. And it took a couple days and alcohol before she spoke up about it because that was how Amy was. Selfless and not doing anything for her for once until she was intoxicated.

Shadow was complaining a minute in.

Two hours in, and the couch was empty.

The pillow and the blanket that smelled like Amy were left alone as he made his way down the hallway. Quietly, he slipped into his bedroom. The fireplace made the house warm, but only if the door remained opened. So, he let the light creep in.

Butch was in before him.

Normally the dog would've never slept on Shadow's bed, but the Ultimate Life Form was cranky and tired. He didn't care.

Amy's form was noticeable in the faint light.

Sidestepping over clothes that had failed to make their way to the hamper, Shadow went to the other side of the bed. The side of the bed he hated to sleep on. The right side when looking at the bed—the left when sitting on it and facing the TV against the wall and the bathroom door.

Sliding in, Shadow was slow and cautious in his movements.

The last thing he wanted to do was wake Amy. She moaned softly as the bed creaked under his added weight. Shadow was under the covers quickly. Thankfully, there was a spare pillow on the other side.

Shadow faced Amy's sleeping form.

Red eyes stared at her as she faced him.

Awake, Amy could've been anything: an annoying nuisance, a drunken retard, a happy-go-lucky girl, or a depressed and lost woman. Asleep, she was only one thing, he decided.

Angelic.

Butch was at their feet. He snorted as he closed his eyes and fell asleep. Shadow continued to stare at Amy as she slept.

Something inside came to life. Something became lit within Shadow. Something that hadn't been felt for a very, very long time. It wasn't just kindness or fondness.

He couldn't place it. But he couldn't stop staring at the sleeping female in wonder. The dog rested at their feet still.

Was this what it was like?

Being with someone?

Were Sarah and Sonic like this right now? Not touching, but knowing that they enjoyed the presence of one another?

The feeling the scene incorporated into Shadow was completeness. Fullness. As if the tranquility he felt at the moment was what it felt like to be with someone you loved.

 _But is it?_

He rested further against the pillow and watched the graceful, sleeping being next to him. Shadow wasn't sure if it was the light cascading in through the bedroom door, but he saw Amy Rose differently this time.

 _Beautiful._ Shadow hitched a breath in dread as the thought occurred within his brain. Had he just admitted he found her attractive? He shouldn't have thought about it. He should've rolled over and went to sleep—pretend she wasn't there.

But she was too captivating. The serenity of the moment set him at ease. It became something more intriguing than that of the company of friends.

With friends, you didn't do this. He knew that much for sure. They talked when they hung out. They didn't sleep in the same bed like this. Feeling something developing, building under his skin that lit his being on fire.

It was the tingles—the warmth—all over again.

But he didn't understand since he wasn't touching her. How could he feel such tingles when they weren't touching? Yet this time, it was everywhere, claiming every inch of him and setting his soul aflame.

The good warmth.

The feeling claimed a home deep within his emotions. It remained hidden in the shadows though, not allowing him to figure out what it was just yet. It was so tiny but so powerful. It was alluring.

Amy was alluring.

 _Stop, Shadow. You're thinking like a school boy. You don't have a crush on Amy._

With that, he rolled over so his back was pointed towards her. She didn't make any sounds as his quills were around her. They seemed to guard her as she snuggled closer to him in her sleep.

Shadow stared at the wall as Butch's tail wagged lightly.

 _She deserves better, anyway._

But his heart ached and his gut felt a twinge of sadness at his thoughts.

His logical side was winning over his emotional side—that was how it always was.

Shadow was known to be logical. The day the emotional side won over would be the day the world ended. Or at least until he got over his insecurities and became open, but they were both practically the same senses. World ending, Shadow the Hedgehog actually showing emotions. They went hand in hand, really.

It didn't make his heart or gut feel any better though as logic won once again.

 _It's easier not to get attached. Not to feel anything. There's so much to lose if I do. And I've gone through losing it once; I'm not going to do it again._

Still, his emotional side felt as if it were snickering behind his logical side's back because it knew something the other side didn't.

It knew that sometimes a person couldn't manage to be just friends.

And unbeknownst to the dark male, as soon as the tiny, powerful, and unknown feeling was born within him, he had stepped his centimeter onto Love's territory.

Surprisingly, Love wasn't the merciful type when it came to playing games.


	13. The Fine Line

**STH © SEGA**

 **Sarah and Sam © Cozy Shadow**

 **Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _TheDivines is my Beta. If you have any questions about the story's flow, please ask TheDivines. You can skip my long essay of an explanation, and I will not be disturbed. :D Schedule might be changed a bit because of editing now. It not only has to match my schedule, but also TheDivines'. Thank you._

 _Thanks to those who reviewed last time!_

 _To the Guest who talked about Mormons in their review:_

 _I'm going off the Mormons in my town. Some practice polygamy and say it's their Mormon religion belief. I'm sure Mormonism is different in certain places. But out here, there is a large polygamist Mormon family (they have their own school) that believes it's what they're supposed to do religiously. They're seen as the "Righteous Mormons" of the valley. Real life, by the way. It's annoying._

 _So, I'm bringing the animal instinct thing. Some readers might remember it in chapter three with Samwell and Amy. It's going to be like an internal conflict between Amy and Shadow. At least, it's going to be one of their conflicts. Sorry not sorry if any of you dislike this idea, but I don't see Mobians as completely human. Their anthropomorphic beings and that just means they have human characteristics. So, to me, above anything else, Mobians are animals. I don't plan on taking the primal thing and making it the main thing of the story, so don't worry about that. It's just a conflict._

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen:**

 **The Fine Line**

Three days.

Three days had passed and nothing changed, but nothing was super exciting either.

Amy watched the clock tick away as she lied down on the couch. It was Tuesday. February 24th. She'd been there for nearly fourteen days. Despite everything that had happened, things were beginning to calm down—that or return to normal.

She was no longer sick and neither was Shadow. Enough cough syrup down their throats could cure anything apparently.

That and Amy had made them tea every morning.

Shadow despised it even more than he despised coffee, but Amy was obstinate.

" _Just drink it."_

" _It tastes like shit."_

" _I made it. It's supposed to help the cold."_

" _It's going to do nothing but continue tasting like shit."_

Shadow had returned to his…state. She wasn't entirely sure what to call it.

He wasn't grumpy, but he wasn't overly open either. He was just…Shadow. She figured it was for the best. It helped her mind stop making up thoughts and pretending like everything he did was a signal that he liked her.

Amy was at peace overall.

Except in one department.

 _Cream._

The clock continued to tick, showing the seconds that passed by. Amy was beginning to feel worry and dread develop every time she thought of the rabbit.

She tried to call Saturday, but it went to voicemail.

" _Hey, Cream. It's Amy. Listen, I don't know if Tails said anything to you, but I'm currently living with Shadow and Sonic at the moment. I wanted to catch up with you and…apologize. So…Yeah."_

She had sat there for what felt like an eternity, holding the phone. Then she gave her the house number, hung up, and decided Cream would call her back in due time.

Except it'd been almost four days.

 _Maybe she's not going to ever accept my apology. Maybe she's moved on and has forgotten about me._

 _What if she doesn't remember me? She probably thought I blocked her out, and she probably hates me even more now._

 _Oh, what have I done?_

 _But she was moving. She and Vanilla were moving. I decided to stay with Silver though. Even then, Cream looked upset. What if she's one of those preppy girls now? Or emo?_

Debating on either a stuck-up Cream or a depressed Cream, Amy left the couch and wandered into the kitchen. There was absolutely nothing to do.

She lied around most of the time. Slept, watch TV, ate some food, etc. At least she was breathing.

Shadow was off doing who knows what again. Sonic and Sarah were both at work. Amy was left to mend the house while her wrist was almost completely better. The bandage was off now at least, and Shadow hadn't reprimanded her when she did take it off.

But everything was so _boring._

Leaning up against the counter, she glanced outside the window. Snow was beginning to melt and create slush everywhere. The grass of the big backyard was brownish yellow. The front yard, though a bit smaller, was the same. The trees were still bare.

Everything looked so dull.

Just as soon as the excitement tuned down, the country life became repetitive and tedious.

 _How have they lived here for four years?_

 _I guess, they have jobs._

 _Shadow had a job until the first year—he worked with Sonic. Now he works the farm, but what could he possibly be doing right now that could benefit the farm? There's still snow on the ground and it doesn't take all day to feed the animals._

 _It's like he just goes poof during the day and only shows up when there's food. And no one questions it._

Amy was beginning to wish she had a job, or at least was still in New York.

 _Maybe I should start looking. But that would require working. While I like sleeping in, I don't like the boring life. I need something brainless but still productive in some shape or form. Farm life seems too dreary._

 _There's something missing that could make it all the more thrilling._

As if hearing her thoughts, fate made the phone ring.

* * *

Humming happily, Amy got dressed rather quickly. She was in the middle of brushing her teeth and watching the clock, as it was a little past ten in the morning, when the door opened and closed.

 _A little early for lunch, Shadow._ She hummed to herself curiously while listening to his footsteps.

It didn't take long for the ebony male to question the quietness of the house when he knew there was a lifeform inside it that stirred up trouble for a living.

It took him even less time to find her. Which was odd, considering Shadow could normally never find her.

But she smelled different today.

The aroma wafted up to his nose and filled in his senses. Something inside his animal side shivered in delight. Shadow wasn't used to the feeling. He didn't like it; no matter how good it made his instinctive side feel. Something told him that it wasn't all that good. That it was some sort of trap.

Then again, living in a world that had wanted to kill Shadow made him think _everything_ was a trap.

Following the scent to the bathroom, he was rather surprised to see her dressed.

She never told him they were going out in public, did she? Had he tuned her out too much during breakfast the last four days?

"Where are you going?" He was always so full of questions.

Amy spat the toothpaste out and rinsed the brush. "Sonia called."

He was silent. She mentally smirked. Amy could just imagine how he was feeling right now. Shadow was probably frozen stiff and trying not to think about the kids jumping on him—well, _one_ child in particular.

"And?"

"I get to watch them today. Technically, it was Flame who called, but Sonia suggested me. Sonia's at work and Flame has to go job hunting. He's got some interviews at different places, and he's asked if I can watch the kids."

"So, you're going into town?" Shadow ignored the tug towards her. He swatted mentally at his instinctive side, trying to focus on the situation at hand.

Was she really just going to waltz into town, thinking danger didn't have her on radar?

"Yep. I don't know what we'll do, but—"

She stopped short because she didn't see him in her peripheral anymore.

"Shadow?"

Peeking down the hall, Amy watched as he vanished into his room. The door was left open though, so she made herself welcome.

Shadow was rummaging through his closet and pulled out a regular old flannel shirt that was red. Different from his dirty one. It was one for town.

Amy cocked her head to the side. "What are _you_ doing?"

"Going with you."

"What?" Amy blinked, "No way." She narrowed her eyebrows and folded her arms. "You can't come. You'll be a buzzkill. That's what you've been these last three-four days."

"I apologize," he murmured with a sigh of irritation.

He wasn't really apologizing. He was just trying to get her off his back and out of his room. Something made him grit his teeth—something his primal side was doing. It was surfacing. The sudden yanking in side of him, the fine line between human and animal, was dragging him down into some dark abyss.

Dilated eyes lasted for a second.

Then everything was back to normal.

Shadow could think clearly, he could breathe evenly. Except the damn female was still in his room. Shrugging it off as nothing, the twenty-eight-year-old male continued to change.

Varying shirts, he noticed Amy never left his room. "But I'm still going," Shadow responded as he buttoned up the nicer shirt.

"Absolutely not."

"You have no clue where to go," Shadow stepped up so he was towering over her and was only a foot away. "You're a magnet for trouble; we don't need that for the kids. And I've decided you're not going _alone_. Frankly, Sarah and Sonic aren't available."

"What about Tails?" Amy whined as she followed him down the hallway.

Shadow internally cringed at the thought of another male near her at the moment.

 _Just what the hell is going on, Shadow? This isn't you._ The dark hero didn't understand it. All that had changed was Amy's scent. _Why? Normally, she smells like raspberries or vanilla. Lately, she hasn't smelled at all—which means she's taking on our scent since she's lived here for a while. But the drastic change now doesn't make any sense._

He knew only one thing. _I have to keep control today. My instincts are kicking in for some reason. Now is not the time. Never is the time, really. I'm slipping for whatever reason—Amy's scent._

He pondered the thought as he listened to Amy practically stepping on his heels. She was definitely a pushy little thing.

"He has his workshop when he isn't crop dusting. He's probably still trying to make a schedule so all of the farmers around here are happy, so I doubt he's available either." Shadow tugged on his boots and grabbed his jacket. Facing Amy, he raised an eyebrow at her unhappy expression. "I'm a little insulted."

"Hmph." Like a child, she stuck her nose up in the air. Her arms were still crossed against her chest.

Shadow found the sight rather amusing, but he didn't say so. Instead, he smirked his classic smirk and passed her Sarah's jacket. "Although I don't enjoy the thought of babysitting, I'd rather be there to protect then have the guilt of not being there on my shoulders."

Amy roughly took the jacket and put it on. "It's not like anything bad is going to happen."

He grasped the doorknob and exhaled. "You know, ever since you came here, things have gotten a little more…"

His silence was clearly nail-biting to Amy.

She frowned, fearing the worse, "A little more what? Dangerous? Out of hand? Troublesome? What?"

His smirk grew to the point where she saw his teeth. His fang poked out, and Amy had to blink to make sure it wasn't a grin. It was a little different.

"I was going to say exciting."

* * *

"Weeeeeeee!"

"I hope they won't be of any trouble for you, Amy," the tall, familiar male said as he watched his daughter run around a particular figure. "I can't say the same for Shadow though."

The dark hedgehog huffed and ignored the five-year-old running circles around him. He kept his arms crossed. Amy glanced back at him with a contrite gaze, but she understood why he was doing this.

Turning back to Flame, she shrugged feebly. "He's decided to be the body guard today."

"I see. Just keep an eye on my kids. We can pay you, if you want."

"No," Amy was quick to shake her head. She put her hands out in front of her. "That won't be necessary."

"You're trying to get back on your feet," Shadow grumbled. "No wonder you lost your job in the first place. You're too selfless."

Amy ignored him as he stood behind her. She continued to grin warmly at Flame. The bright orange hedgehog stared at the two of them with slight concern. "Okay…Amy?"

"Don't listen to him. Body guards aren't supposed to speak," Amy hissed back at Shadow who frowned and muttered something incoherent. " _Ever_."

Shadow glared at a tree.

The outside of Flame and Sonia's house looked nice. The inside was normally messy because of the kids, even if Flame watched them all day and could easily clean the house. The father locked the door and kissed his children goodbye before he headed to his car and left.

Shadow had switched vehicles with Sonic on the drive to town, stopping off at Sonic's work.

Sonic's truck had the car seat in the back at all times, just in case he had to watch the kids. So, Shadow thought it better to switch vehicles rather than risk being pulled over in his two seater truck with two toddlers without seat belts on.

Amy buckled Jeffery into the car seat. Petunia was left without one. "Be good back here, okay?" The rose hedgehog buckled Petunia in. The child, eager, nodded enthusiastically.

"I will, Auntie Amy!"

Smiling at the name, Amy closed the door and got in the passenger seat. She checked up on Jeffery, who remained asleep. "Okay," she faced the driver. "What do we wanna do?"

Shadow remained at the wheel, staring into space.

 _Why did I agree to this?_ He was beginning to regret it, but at least he'd gotten used to Amy's different smell, and his carnal instincts had died upon picking up the kids. _Because Amy has a date with trouble every time she goes anywhere._

… _But_ why _did I agree to this?_

He didn't know what to do with the kids.

Sure, he could pretend to be playing with them when they were at his house, or pretend to be coloring, but town? Where were they supposed to go? What were they supposed to do?

"Um…"

Amy blinked at the confused male. "You never babysat them in town before? Petunia's five and you've never babysat _in town_?"

"Not me. Once, when Petunia was three, Sonic had to take her. We had a whole shopping list then. I went and got everything while _he_ spent time with her," Shadow explained. "But we don't have anything to do now…"

And what made it worse was that Shadow had only left Sonic because someone commented on what an inspiring gay couple they made. He didn't exactly want to be in the same boat again but with Amy. It had already been awkward enough the first time.

"We can…go to the pet store," Amy suggested. "Or the toy store. There's that complex with the toy store, the pet store, the clothing store, and the craft store. We can go there, if you don't mind?"

It was better than nothing.

So, he started the engine.

~.~

"Lookie!" Petunia raced to the fish and stared in wonder. "They're fish!"

Shadow didn't know what to do.

Amy was carrying Jeffery and looking at the betta fish in their own separate containers on the shelves. Down the aisle were the fish that were kept together in big tanks, and that was where Petunia had raced off to.

He wasn't sure if he was supposed to stick to Amy or follow Petunia. Both seemed potential magnets for danger. They were both too curious and selfless with the world.

"Petunia, don't run off, sweetie."

Thankfully, Shadow had Amy Rose.

He didn't have to be the parent figure for all three. Petunia zoomed back to them and looked at the betta fish, or tried to.

The containers were too high for her to see. But instead of asking for some assistance, Petunia walked backwards to see them from farther away. She craned her neck up and tippy toed although her efforts seemed fruitless.

Shadow sighed in exasperation.

Kids.

They sometimes intrigued Shadow. Like when they were littler and seemed fascinated with the world.

Petunia had been that way. Jeffery was getting there but seemed to be a calmer child than Petunia, who was always looking for the next adventure.

But it was the infants that made the Ultimate Life Form gaze at them in wonder.

They were just little beings, experiencing the world for the first time. At least their experience could be better than his.

So, it was probably the only softness Shadow had ever shown.

He hadn't known Petunia when she born. She was five, he moved to the state four years ago. But when she was one, Shadow didn't mind it at all, though he would never acknowledge it.

Petunia had always been fascinated with animals or machines. Once, she had been so interested in a _blanket_ when she one. Shadow had watched her with Sonic in the living room. She had messed with the blanket for a good five minutes before sticking the fabric in her mouth.

Yes, kids seemed to be something entirely their own, just like Amy Rose.

Both were captivating.

Both were filled with such innocence that was it difficult to be unkind to them.

Petunia squeaked as she was picked up. She gripped onto Shadow's shoulder as he rested her on his hip. It wasn't the first time he had picked her up.

Shadow had a different relationship with children.

One that made Amy more confused about him.

The dark hero actually liked children? No, that was probably going too far than Shadow would care to admit.

He _tolerated_ children.

Especially when one was Petunia and just as stubborn as Amy.

But the little girl meant well, as she truly thought of Shadow as her uncle and cared deeply for him. He was kind most of the time. Sometimes, he proved to be distant. But Petunia's mother explained that it was because he had a hard life and was trying to adjust. It made Petunia try harder to be friends with her "uncle."

At times, she felt like they truly were friends. Then, he would be difficult and not want anything to do with company, much less hers. Petunia didn't quite understand.

Neither did Amy.

The rose hedgehog watched from the corner of her eye. She smiled nonchalantly, and thankfully Jeffery blocked Shadow's view from seeing it.

"They're all different colors," Petunia chimed in and held the shelving as Shadow kept a grasp on her. She pointed at a bright blue betta. "He's pretty."

"Look at the red one," Amy pointed at one further down. Shadow shifted as Petunia tried to get closer to it. The betta flinched and swam as far away as possible in his tiny, circular container.

Jeffery cooed and gurgled at the plain looking one. It had a brownish face with a little blue on its tail, but the toddler was only interested in that one. It seemed interested too.

"Aw, Jeffery," Amy giggled. "You made a new friend."

Petunia squeezed in beside her brother while Shadow kept his hold. "Hi!" Petunia chirped at the fish but it immediately swam away, or as far as it could go.

"Petunia, they don't like loud noises," Amy explained at the disappointed child.

Petunia's ears flapped back and she turned her head to rest her chin on Shadow's shoulder, looking away from the fish altogether.

"You have to be a bit gentler. Don't scare them."

"Hmph."

Shadow huffed at the child's response. Amy smiled pitifully at Petunia's back and then continued to look at the ordinary fish with Jeffery. Shadow turned to a blueish red fish in front of him. It swam quickly towards them, trying to get past the barrier. Shadow raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to the fish.

"These fish are strange. Petunia," he whispered.

Her ears perked up as her head swiveled. Happier, Petunia's tail wagged back and forth in excitement. Her eyes lit up as she grasped the shelf. The fish was still trying to swim towards them and didn't shy away when Petunia said hello.

Shadow stood straighter, pulling away from the fish but still allowing Petunia to look. His gaze was warm towards the bearable youngster, but then he felt other eyes watching him. Twisting to his left, he met Amy's knowing scrutiny.

"What?" he grunted roughly, his eyes narrowing and the soft look completely gone.

Amy only smirked, blinked rather slowly, and then continued looking at the betta fish with Jeffery. Shadow was interested now. He tilted his head towards her. "What was that look for?"

"Nothing." Her smile crept back across her muzzle.

Shadow sneered in distaste. "I was merely keeping her from pouting."

"Hmhm."

"She's annoying."

"I'm sure."

Shadow didn't like the fact that he might've showed his vulnerable side to an adult. He could share it with kids straightforwardly because they didn't judge him.

Maybe that was why he found them intriguing.

They didn't scream at him, even if he did look scary with his red eyes and harsh look. For some reason, the children were the first ones to notice the good in him right away. That the wall he had put up was false. They probably didn't even see the wall—they were just children.

 _They don't judge so quickly. Not at this age, at least, and not the kids I've dealt with. Which are only these two._

 _They're so full of purity; they think that's all the world is._

"Want to go see the other fish?" Amy asked, mainly to Jeffery. The little boy gurgled again, blowing bubbles with his spit. "I'll take that as a yes." She turned and called after Shadow and Petunia.

Setting the girl down, Shadow let Petunia race after Amy. He took his time, of course.

The other fish weren't very cool. Petunia liked some, especially the ones with big eyes, but overall it was rather mind-numbing for them.

Jeffery liked the cats though.

They rubbed up against the kennel as Jeffery poked his chubby finger in and poked at the cat's forehead. Amy watched him mostly, which left Shadow with the notion that Petunia was his to look after.

He stood, waiting, as Petunia found the kittens a bit more delightful than the older cats. She wiggled her finger until one tried to snatch it.

Shadow watched with a careful eye.

Not because of fatherly instincts, no. He denied that reason.

 _It's merely because she'll bawl and whine all day if one so much as nicks her skin._

It was _not_ because of fatherly instincts. His animal side, being Mobian and all, was nothing but a myth to him. He had his own self-control. Shadow wasn't an animal. Though, technically, he was.

Still, he ignored the gut feeling that told him to scold Petunia. The primal thing inside of him however had changed throughout the day—from wanting to surface at Amy's new scent to being protective over the children they looked after.

It made being normal all the more difficult in the average world.

Once a Mobian adjusted, they had to get used to those primitive instincts. The heroes were always off and saving the day—they never had a reason to think about settling down and going on with the day like a regular animal would on Earth. Also, the heroes had been younger.

The last thing Shadow ever thought about was family. Having one of his own. But something inside of him seemed to be lost the moment he went through that portal ten years ago. Something that had once told him family seemed impossible and now it wasn't. He just didn't know what it was yet.

Still, he kept his control under check and continued to be his normal self while waiting patiently for the day to end.

"Petunia, be careful," Amy warned. Thankfully, Shadow was stuck with someone who _had_ lost control and new how to deal with those situations. And had motherly instincts.

He folded his arms and glared at anyone that stared at them for too long. And then a worker came up just to annoy him even more.

"Finding everything okay, sir?"

"Yes."

She was human. Short, black hair and green eyes—about twenty-five. She motioned to the kittens and kneeled down to Petunia. "His name is Scuffles," she spoke gently to the little Mobian girl while speaking about the black kitten.

Petunia smiled and the worker returned it. "What about the gray one?"

"Tangerine."

Shadow scoffed and rolled his eyes at the stupid names. The worker glanced up at him upon hearing the sound. She looked at Amy and stood up. "Were you planning on buying a cat?"

"Oh, no. We're just babysitting," Amy blushed. "We didn't know where to go, so the pet store looked good."

"Oh," the worker stated in understanding and slight embarrassment. "And here I thought you two were married."

Amy bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "No. We're not."

She wasn't sure how Shadow was, but his back was turned. Suddenly, she was watching him walk away rather stubbornly.

Amy frowned and glanced back at the worker to fake a grin, "Just passing time."

Petunia had noticed Shadow walking away as well and was quick to follow. Amy let her go as she continued talking to the worker, and as Jeffery went on with petting the cat that had taken a liking to him.

Finding Shadow was easier said than done.

He spent four years in hiding and had become pretty good at it. So, he was able to not draw attention to himself when alone. He walked down an aisle full of lizard stuff.

He wanted to ignore the little footsteps that followed.

"Shadow! Wait up!"

Spinning on his heel, the dark male gazed down as Petunia ran into his legs. She clutched his jeans and stared up.

"Why'd you walk off so fast?"

"Adult stuff."

Petunia's interest died. She scrunched up her nose. "Oh. Adult stuff is boring."

Shadow exhaled heavily and turned to look at the lizards in their exhibits. He leaned up against the shelving of animal food and slowly made his way to the ground. Petunia was quick to sit crossed leg next to him. A minute or so had passed.

"Boring and annoying to deal with," Shadow admitted. He stared at the lizards as Petunia looked up at him.

"Are you and Auntie Amy in a fight?"

Shadow didn't expect that. He looked down at her gradually and confoundedly. "No. Why do you ask that?"

"Because Mommy and Daddy get in fights, and Daddy leaves."

The thought made Shadow not believe it. Sure, Sonia and Flame had always been a rocky couple. Flame had his womanizing ways in college, supposedly. And then he fell for Sonia. Though it was none of his business, Shadow couldn't help but worry for the kids slightly.

After all, they were just children—the innocence of the world.

"Where does he go?"

"To another room," Petunia explained as she curled her knees up to her chest. "Sometimes Mommy leaves the room. It doesn't happen very much, though."

"Nothing to concern yourself with," Shadow shook his head, mostly in relief. He didn't have to slyly tell Sonic that his brother-in-law was fighting with Sonia, leaving, and possibly cheating—as it seemed the sort of thing Sonic would want to know, and all to keep Sonia safe. "It's adult stuff."

"Then why'd you walk off if you and Auntie Amy didn't get in a fight?"

Shadow mulled it over. He wouldn't normally speak, but Petunia wouldn't let it go. She never let anything go. "It's nothing to worry about, Petunia."

She was quiet, but then whispered, "Do you like her?"

He stopped and glimpsed down at the child, "As a friend."

"But Uncle Sonic said you two were together."

Oh. He was just going to kill that Faker.

* * *

Petunia hopped along as Shadow chose to walk. Amy and Jeffery were up ahead, entering a different aisle of a new store.

The toy store.

Gasping in delight, Petunia raced to the first thing she saw. The ebony male liked that it wasn't crowded. He didn't see anyone there.

 _I wonder why…_ He smirked in slight humor to himself. Of course, parents would avoid the toy store like the Black Plague. Halting abruptly, Shadow widened his eyes a fraction.

 _Then why am I here?_

Glancing down at the little lifeform, Shadow prayed she wouldn't want anything.

 _She isn't greedy. So, she should be good._

"I want this one!"

Unfortunately his luck was never on his side. So it wasn't exactly _his_ luck. No. Luck was laughing at him and walking away, saying, "See ya, loser." That was what Luck was doing right now.

And he just stepped into the one store any kid dreamed of getting lost in.

"Maybe we should leave," he suggested.

Petunia frowned and folded her arms. "No!"

He hadn't really meant to ask it out loud. Shadow was merely thinking to himself. But since the toddler responded…

"We're not getting you anything."

"But Jeffery's birthday is in April!" Petunia grabbed Shadow's hand and pulled on it. Shadow didn't move.

"So, why should I buy _you_ anything if it's your brother's birthday?" Another reason that youngsters were humorous and interesting: they came up with the wittiest reasons.

"Because I'm his big sister, and I should be given a gift for helping out my baby brother when Mommy or Daddy ask me to."

"That's simply out of the kindness of your heart."

"Fine, I don't have a heart. I do it all for presents."

Shadow raised an eyebrow at her. Perhaps she wasn't so selfless. He closed his eyes and assured, "You have a heart, Petunia. You like spending time with your brother."

Petunia groaned as she realized her excuses weren't working on the adult. It never worked on the adults, especially Shadow. Then again, she had never tried to beg in front of him, so it wasn't _impossible_. She had to be a clever niece.

She had to outsmart the brains—the one with the money.

"Please?" was the best she came up with.

Shadow snorted and walked out of her grasp. Following Amy, Shadow didn't look back to see if Petunia was behind him. Thankfully, the child was.

She wasn't happy about it, but she followed anyway.

The dark male took a second or two to find Amy, but her scent was easy to track.

Petunia grasped his jacket in order to keep up. He wasn't one to hold hands, but Petunia made it the only option eventually. As he peered around one corner and into another aisle, she slipped her tiny hand in his larger one.

Panting for air, Petunia leaned her head up against him.

Shadow was off again just as quickly as they stopped. He tugged her hand to either pull her along or get out of her grasp—either one would do.

And then he spotted Amy.

He almost walked too far, but he stopped in time to go down the aisle. Petunia grumbled under her breath but sighed in relief as they met up with Amy and Jeffery.

"You walk a little fast," Shadow commented. "I'm surprised you couldn't _run_ from trouble."

Amy didn't want to glare. At least not in front of the kids. Jeffery was having fun with the train set and Petunia joined him, letting go of Shadow's hand.

Amy noticed and briefly smiled, but the dangerous tone was still there as she spoke, "You walk a little slow. I'm surprised the Ultimate Life Form couldn't _speed_ things up."

Shadow sneered. "You think that's a good comeback?"

"Better than any you've made."

The ebony hedgehog didn't know why she was being so snappy today. Yesterday was the same way too. But Saturday and Sunday had gone smoothly. Why was she upset with him now? Sure, she was back on the couch, but his bed was his bed.

And friends didn't sleep in the same bed.

And she was his friend. Or at least, he thought she was. Now it seemed they were bitter enemies.

Fortunately, Mobians were different from humans and could sense things a bit better. Unfortunately, sometimes those things were supposed to be more private.

And the thing that had been bugging him since finding her in the bathroom was beginning to make itself known.

The scent hit him first as Amy's cheeks seemed noticeable redder. But she wasn't blushing. She wasn't too angry either, and she wasn't holding her breath.

 _Oh, no…_ The sudden thinking and being closer to her than usual got to him. He knew entirely what was wrong—well, why the instincts inside of him were acting up around her. All the signs were there.

Amy Rose was on that time of the month. And Shadow got to deal with it.

"You're…" His nose twitched and Amy gave him a second glance, but this time more suspicious. She crossed her arms close to her chest and leaned away. The look he was giving was something unfriendly, at least to her. "You're in heat."

Amy blushed this time. Whether it was out of embarrassment or downright anger, Shadow couldn't tell. Amy clamped her hand over his mouth as soon as the words came and glanced over at the kids. Petunia and Jeffery was oblivious.

She unclamped his mouth and glared menacingly at him. "So?"

Shadow backed away as he gave her a curious and cautious look. "You're a bit moody."

" _Don't._ Just don't start with me, Shadow."

The black hedgehog was caught in a corner. He had no clue what to do.

Normally, Sarah stayed away from him when she was on her period. He didn't ever see her or lose control of his animal instinct. She was mated to Sonic and they were getting married. Shadow wasn't interested in Sarah.

But Amy.

She was good looking—scarier right now than anything—and she was sweet. Not to mention a hopeless romantic and very single. Despite the moodiness she was giving him, his primal instincts seemed to think it was the kindest she'd been to him so far.

Shadow thought the entire animal thing was absurd and wished for it to be gone.

Yes, Amy was tempting at times. Shadow was surprised other males hadn't shown up in the picture. But he certainly wasn't going to be one of them. He prided himself on his self-control.

And he lost it.

Amy pushed her hands against his chest as soon as he touched her. His eyes dilated profusely and his hands twitched. "Shadow, no."

There was a little fear in both of them.

But Shadow had never smelt something so enticing. His animal instinct did nothing but tell him to mate. He growled lowly.

 _Snap out of it!_

He snarled against the shelving and turned away from Amy. Her hands rested on his shoulder.

And just like that, his eyes were back to normal, his breathing was even, and he was steady.

"I'm sorry," he muttered as he turned towards her.

"It's fine," Amy stepped away and tucked her stray quill behind her shoulder. "I was bad too when I first lost it."

Shadow grunted in disbelief and humor. "I feel bad for the guy."

"Yeah, well it was Silver."

Hitching a breath, Shadow glanced at her. His red eyes full of disbelief. Then his eyebrows narrowed. "What?"

"Just because we worked better together as best friends doesn't mean I didn't find Silver attractive. And as Mobians get older, they experience things. The animal inside us is always there. It's in humans, too. They're just more immune to it than us and more civilized. Back on Mobius, some were completely feral and just did what their instincts told them to."

Shadow swallowed roughly and met her eye contact, "So, you and Silver?"

"What about it? It didn't last long. There's no story to tell. I lost control once in the relationship. Months later, we mutually broke up. We dated, Shadow. It happened."

For some reason those words didn't commute correctly. He reached for the shelf and almost missed it. "It?"

Amy flushed and put her hands out. "No! Not _it_ it. Just…our relationship it. Our relationship happened. Came and went."

"Got it." For some reason, there was relief hidden inside of him. He didn't know why he was feeling it, but he ignored it anyway. "After you dated, did you lose control again?"

"Well, yes. I'm not exactly good on control," Amy noted. "Didn't stop me from getting drunk when I was sick, now did it?"

"Certainly not."

Amy scratched the back of her neck awkwardly and met his watching gaze. "There was a guy at my old job. He was…nice. I fell pretty hard. Pretended that everything he did was some way of him telling me that he was actually interested." Amy shook her head as if she were ashamed of herself, or as if the thought reminded her of her girlish thoughts about Shadow four days ago. "He called me into his office one morning. We both lost it."

"Heat again?"

"It's called a period, and yes," Amy snorted in humor. "Stop talking like some 1700's person or something. There are modern terms for it."

"Humans call it heat for Mobians. We're animals to some of them—not equals," Shadow corrected but motioned her to continue. "Go on."

"It's not heat unless I'm sexually responsive." She snorted at his correction and then sighed, "Anyway. Then his longtime girlfriend walked in on us." Amy thinned her lips, obviously despised with herself and her coworker. "I felt like a slut. He never told me he was dating someone."

The kids were still ignorant of the adults. Shadow processed the news. Perhaps this was one, or the only, secret that Scourge had threatened about exposing. "How far did it go?"

"He almost got my shirt off."

Amy was looking away but still heard the rumble build up in Shadow's throat. She smiled softly to herself but shook the feeling off. Shadow didn't have feelings for her. She was being a girl.

"She called me a whore, broke up with her cheating ass of a boyfriend, and stormed out. I was left feeling very ashamed of myself."

"And the male?"

"He…" Amy turned away further and clutched her arm. "He didn't even go after her. He was already past the point of control."

Sudden anger boiled in him. Shadow stood straight and clutched Amy's arm. The female jumped and looked at the seriousness in the vermillion eyes.

"I got out. Left. I avoided him."

"How long was this before the time you were fired?"

"It had nothing to do with him," Amy stated, shaking off Shadow's assumption. "The man who fired me wasn't even really allowed to do so. He fired everyone and hired a completely new team for the magazine. Wanted something fresh. It was a few weeks gap though."

"Stupid girl," Shadow muttered in distaste and flung her arm out of his grasp.

Amy glowered at him. "Hey! You lost it too, back there. If not for me, where would we be right now?!"

His breath landed a few inches away from her. His hands grasped her arms so tightly it would leave marks. Their chests were almost touching. But nothing was lustful or romantic about it. Everything between them was crumbling under their anger.

"Don't even—"

"Uncle Shadow? Auntie Amy?"

With a wide gaze, Shadow quickly let go Amy in a stammering movement. Both turned to Petunia, who stared at them nervously. She bit her bottom lip and timidly walked closer.

She could sense something wasn't right between the two. And then Amy had yelled at him.

"You _are_ fighting," Petunia concluded. "Just like Mommy and Daddy."

"No, sweetie." Amy kneeled down and kissed the girl on her forehead. "This is different from what your parents probably argue about."

Petunia wouldn't let it go though. She never let it go. So, she stared up at Amy with her father's eyes and looked at her with sorrow.

"Did you lose a baby, too?"

* * *

The Chinese food was normally inviting, but Amy couldn't swallow it.

She glanced over at Petunia and Jeffery. The kids were quiet but overall the same. They seemed to communicate somehow—Mobians were truly a mystery.

Amy didn't even know much about her own species. Yet, she knew something she wished Petunia hadn't said.

Casually, Amy looked across the table at Shadow. "Do you think Sonic knows?" she whispered.

"No."

"What makes you say that?"

Shadow sighed and set his fork down. He wasn't one for Chinese food anyway. The orange chicken was left untouched, and the rice was barely nibbled on. He leaned back and stared over at Amy. "Sonia's miscarried once before. Sonic didn't know until after Petunia was two."

"So why do you think they're arguing about it?"

"Despite how Flame acted in college—as a womanizer and whatnot—he's very fond of children. Much like Sonic," Shadow explained.

He took a sip of his water and made sure the kids weren't listening. Petunia was making walrus noises while putting her chopsticks in her mouth. Jeffery was laughing at her.

"But if Sonia miscarried, it doesn't give any reason for them to argue."

"They like to set the blame on someone," Shadow responded. He flagged down a waiter to get the check. "Flame has a very low chance of having kids. The fact that he's had two is apparently somewhat astonishing."

"Hence why he's so protective."

"Yes. But Flame is also the easily over jealous type. Sonia and he got in a giant fight when she was pregnant with Jeffery almost two years ago," Shadow remembered. "Flame was beginning to suspect that Sonia was cheating and wasn't actually pregnant with his son. Thus the two almost got divorced. Sonia lived with us for about a month. And then the DNA tests came through because even though they have a…unsteady relationship, the two aren't willing to throw it away."

"And?"

"What do you think?" Shadow snorted. "They're Flame's kids. Sonia never cheated. Flame isn't normally so possessive. He just overthinks things sometimes. Their problem isn't our problem though." He tried to wave the situation off as the waiter came with the check.

The waiter left and Amy was back on the conversation.

"So, why do you think they're arguing?"

"Who knows?" Shadow said in annoyance. "I frankly don't want to get in the middle of their situation. But if I had to make a guess, perhaps Flame's imagination was thinking about it too much, and he came to the conclusion that it wasn't a miscarriage. That Sonia was cheating, wound up pregnant with someone else's child, and aborted it to hide the evidence."

"Do you think she would actually abort though?" Amy cringed. "That's like murder."

"People have different views on it," Shadow shrugged. "I, for one, don't care about abortion. If the mother doesn't want the child, get rid of it some way or another. Adoption, abortion, pray for a miscarriage—whatever the hell they want to do. Women all over the world are making that decision now and it's not our business. Just like Sonia and Flame's situation isn't our business."

"I know…" She bit her tongue on the abortion thing. People _did_ have different views. And she wasn't going to try and argue her belief with Shadow.

"Don't go making it our problem either," Shadow warned. He pointed at her with a threatening finger. "Or else you can live with them instead."

"Noted and engraved into brain." She smiled thinly and looked at the check. "When are we dropping them off at home though?"

"Flame's there now. It's almost three-thirty. He said he'd hopefully be done by then. Sonia gets off at three. They should both be at home or close to there."

"Think they need some privacy?"

Shadow set the money needed down and the tip. He grabbed Petunia from her spot next to him and stared at Amy with a ridiculous look. "Like hell I'm babysitting for another moment longer. I've learned enough for one day."

Amy shrugged at his logic before picking up Jeffery from his booster seat. "Good point."

~.~

Both Sonia and Flame were home. Fortunately, nothing was really happening.

Amy was about to open the door but Sonia beat her to it. She grinned and took Jeffery from her. "Hey! Come in! I just went light shopping after work."

"Light shopping," Flame grumbled from the kitchen. Plenty of bags rested on the counter as he rummaged through them. "Someone got their paycheck."

"That's half the paycheck," Sonia joked. "The rest goes to bills."

Amy walked in after Petunia ran in. Shadow was a little more hesitant, but the rose hedgehog motioned for him to do so. "C'mon," she hissed. "It'd be rude."

"I thought it was rude to go into someone else's house uninvited," Shadow mumbled.

"We were invited. Now just come in, you big baby," Amy whispered harshly, and then Shadow was inside. She shut the door and smiled at Sonia, who was busy blowing raspberries on Jeffery's cheek.

The boy giggled and tightened his hold on his mother. Green eyes, which resembled Sonic's, looked over Sonia's shoulder and lightened up when they found Amy. He gurgled and reached for the pink hedgehog, which Sonia found rather amusing.

Amy took Jeffery back and watched as Sonia merely waved it off.

"I have groceries to unload anyway. Then this little one gets a bath," she pinched Jeffery's cheek before kissing it. She walked around the counter in the center of the kitchen. Flame was busy looking at something that looked like a cucumber or a squash, but he couldn't tell.

"What is this?"

"Green food," Sonia snatched it from him. "Something you won't eat."

Flame was going to retort but shrugged it off. He stuck his head back in another bag and pulled out more vegetables. "Where is the stuff for carnivores?" he mused.

"In the freezer," Sonia responded and walked to the fridge to put some of the vegetables in it. "We had enough already."

"But it's _meat_." He glanced back at Shadow and pointed at Sonia. "You understand, don't you?"

Shadow sat at the kitchen table and ignored as Petunia tried to get him to color with her. She sat beside him happily though. "I go hunting, so I have leftover meat."

"Hunting?" Amy twisted around at him. She bounced Jeffery up and down in her hold. The Hunter's Ed story Sarah told Amy popped up in her mind, so it made sense that Shadow would get out and about instead of living such a mundane life _all_ of the time. "You go hunting?"

"No different from killing a man."

There was an awkward silence.

Shadow closed his eyes. "That…Came out wrong."

"Yeah."

"I apologize." He wanted to smack himself unconscious, especially when he noticed Petunia was staring at him. "It's completely different."

Amy nodded as Sonia watched Shadow with an unimpressed look on her face. "Wow…To think I let _you_ watch my children."

"You know, his bluntness is going to get him in a lot of suffering one day," Flame predicted as the couple went back to searching through grocery bags. "Petunia, you heard nothing. Got it?"

"Heard what, Daddy?"

"Good girl."

Shadow just stared out the window. He couldn't even open his mouth in fear that something even worse would come out. But it was the truth. To him at least. Of course, when he killed a man, he didn't exactly _eat_ him.

The words had come out. There had been no stopping them. So, Shadow the Hedgehog did what Shadow the Hedgehog did best. He sat in the corner and pretended to be nonexistent.

"So," Amy rested along the counter and stared between the married couple. "How were the interviews?"

"Great," Flame grinned as he set the chips up above the fridge to where Sonia couldn't reach as easily. "I really think this time they won't suspect a thing."

"You persuaded them, didn't you?" Sonia stared at her husband with a disappointing and angry look.

Amy glanced between them. "What's bad about persuading them?"

"Flame can persuade people. Hypnotize them."

Amy looked at the smirking male with doubt. "Like a power?"

" _Exactly_ like a power," Sonia clenched her teeth. "And I thought he promised he wouldn't do that this time."

The rose hedgehog wasn't sure what was happening. "Wait, how does that make any of it bad, though? I mean, if he doesn't get caught…"

"They kind of…black out when under control for so long," Flame explained as he stood beside Amy. He looked down at her with his warm-colored eyes. "Then they begin to become suspicious of me. So, they won't hire me. But I got to practice on someone."

"Why not just practice on Sonia?" Amy interjected. "I mean, any husband would want that power. Wife making them a sandwich. Wife doing the chores and not complaining about it. Wife having sex. Hm?"

Flame looked at the ceiling and squinted. He hummed in thought. "I can't."

Sonia smirked triumphantly as Amy showed a confused expression. Flame licked his lips. "I can probably control _you_ , Amy, to do all of that stuff—"

"Please don't." The rose hedgehog didn't need mind control added to the list.

"But I could never get into Sonia's head."

"Is that why you're with her? Or something?" Amy backed up into the counter as Flame leaned closer.

Flame shrugged. "More or less. I originally thought it had something to do with the super speed. I can't control Sonic, either. But I can control Manic. He never had powers—unless you call his pickpocketing skills a power."

"Sonia could run?" Amy glanced back at the nodding female.

"Before the portal, I could," Sonia finished putting away the groceries. The counter became the cleanest thing in the house. "After the portal, I could not."

"Then maybe Flame can't control others with powers."

That was where Flame smirked and leaned back. The bright orange hedgehog crossed his arms and towered over her. Screw Shadow making her little. Flame made her feel like the size of an atom.

"We tested that theory out. We thought since he had other powers and the super speed was only because of his shoes, maybe I couldn't control him."

"Who?"

"The only silent adult in this room."

All three turned around to look at the grumpy looking Shadow the Hedgehog. Amy twisted back around and craned her neck up, "And?"

"And you're looking at the first, and most likely only, Mobian that can control The Ultimate Life Form."


	14. An Unexpected Visit

**STH © SEGA**

 **Sarah and Sam © Cozy Shadow**

 **Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _Any questions on the story? Ask TheDivines or leave a review (especially if you're a guest reviewer and cannot PM)._

 _Chapters 15 and 16 will be updated Sunday, November 1_ _st_ _, 2015. …Hopefully. Happy Halloween! We got...one trick-or-treater so far...Woohoo..._

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen:**

 **An Unexpected Visit**

Just like Sarah didn't let Sonic's once-real name down, Amy teased Shadow all the way home.

"I can't believe it. Flame Summers can _control_ you? Shadow the Hedgehog. The badass of all badass-ary."

The ebony male merely observed the road as he drove home—though he was really debating about dropping Amy off at the junction. Someone would eventually pick her up.

 _But that person could be a rapist for all we know._ Rouge flashed in his mind, and then the moment he had lost his control in the store followed. _I still can't believe I let it slip. It does make sense though. After so long like this, we get more in tune with our animalistic behaviors—plus we've grown._

Keeping his distance from the young flower had never been more imperative.

 _At least for now._ Shadow noted to himself. After Amy's time of the month was over, things would return to normal. _But if this is how it's going to be for as long as she stays here, I pray she doesn't stay for too long._

"Keep laughing," he decided to actually respond to her this time. "It's all fun and games until he starts controlling _you_ for some theory."

"So, it wasn't the super speed?"

"Obviously."

"What could possibly make it so he can't control someone but can control a different person?" Amy mused to herself and gazed out the window. Everything was beginning to darken. "He can't hypnotize Sonic either, but he can with Manic.

"Your hover shoes gave you the super speed, but you have the ability of Chaos powers. Maybe the lack of Chaos emeralds made you vulnerable to Flame's control. But what if he can't control others with power? Like Blaze's fire powers or Silver's telekinesis. Maybe it has to deal with blood types or something, and has nothing to do with powers."

Her blabbing became annoying to the bolshie male. He really began thinking about dropping her off the side of the road.

"Blah, blah, blah."

Amy's ears swiveled in his direction. Green eyes stared at him quizzically.

Was Shadow the Hedgehog giving her _sass_?

That was a first. Then again, he definitely showed her that he had changed. Now, if she could just stop being so useless…

Looking down at her wrist, Amy rubbed it with her other hand. It was practically healed, but still felt odd upon bending inwards or outwards in a stretch. She cringed slightly at the sudden pain shooting through her wrist when she bent it.

"Stop that."

The aggravated tone made her blankly glare. "I can do as I please."

"You're only going to make it worse."

She ignored Shadow and went on rubbing her wrist. But she didn't bend it. Instead, she stuck with the circular motion of her fingertips.

"What are we going to do tomorrow?" The question popped out of her mouth before she could even realize she said it. But it was true—she wanted to know whether they would actually do something, of their lives would continue to be a bore.

"Whatever you like."

"I want to see Tails."

There was a pause. "I sort of meant alone."

Amy gawked at him with pleading eyes. "I'll let my wrist completely heal if you take me to Tails tomorrow."

"I could care less about your wrist."

"But—"

"The more you do that and make it worse, the longer I'm without a helping hand at feeding animals," Shadow growled under his breath. "And before you tease me about needing help, you better overlook the situation you're in."

"And I've thanked you countless times for it," Amy softened her voice. "But please? Can we go see Tails tomorrow?"

A sigh. A very exasperated and exhausted sigh.

"I have nothing planned," Shadow said. He didn't want to the let truth slide out because he didn't want to spend another day with Amy while they were in this certain current situation.

Amy mentally did a happy dance.

Unbeknownst to them both, they didn't know there was about to be a domino effect.

* * *

"I wanna go."

"Absolutely not," Shadow gripped the coffee cup. It was early Wednesday morning and the animals were fed. Sonic had been shoving food in his face when he decided to ask what they were doing today. Shadow regretted informing the blue speed demon that they were going to see Tails.

"But he's my life long best friend."

"Then see him on your own time. Besides, don't you have work today?" He eyed Sonic with a triumphant smirk across his muzzle.

Sonic faked a cough. "I'm sick."

Deadpanning, Shadow was beginning to regret the decision of letting Sonic inside his house four years ago.

And then Sarah walked into the kitchen, and the domino effect had yet to stop.

"Hey, they're going to Tails' today. We haven't been over there in a while."

The female stopped at the fridge. "We haven't, have we?"

"Nope. You've been saying you feel a little nauseous, and I think I'm coming down with something too," Sonic slid over the corner of the table and wrapped his arms around his wife-to-be. They both looked back at Shadow. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Shadow didn't want to hear it. But he knew it was coming—although he was mentally pleading to God that both wouldn't want to tag along. Amy was bad enough.

Brown eyes filled with mischief. "I'm thinking what you're thinking."

"Please, don't say it," Shadow whispered.

"Sick day."

The simultaneously said words were Shadow's doom. He had to deal with an unmated female on her period, a pest, and whatever the hell Sarah was.

He still didn't know what to call her—she was just _there_.

While plotting their accidental disappearances, Shadow's thoughts were interrupted by Amy.

Sarah was eating her cereal and Sonic had finished his food. Now it was time for Amy to find some. Rummaging through the cupboards, Amy felt eyes on her. More than one pair, too.

Turning, she was rather surprised, and intimidated, to see all three hedgehogs staring at her.

"Yes?"

"Guess who's coming to dinner," Sonic grinned at the quote.

Amy smiled back but it was more or less out of confusion. "What?"

"Sarah and Sonic are coming along," Shadow muttered unhappily at Amy, "Playing hooky to see Tails."

The pink hedgehog shrugged as she grabbed the box of cereal and ate it plain. "The more, the merrier."

Oh, how badly Shadow wanted to disagree.

* * *

Miles 'Tails' Prower loved guests. When they were invited.

But he knew who it most likely was when there was an unexpected knock on the door.

 _UPS._

 _Not today._

Tails was rather surprised to see four hedgehogs instead of his package that was supposed to arrive three days ago.

 _What in the world…_

It wasn't strange for Sonic to drop by. It was strange for the whole household to drop by.

While Sonic had a dumb grin plastered across his muzzle, Sarah kicked the sludge off the steps. Amy waited patiently while waving slightly at Tails and offering him a small smile.

And then there was the fourth.

"Boy, Shadow looks cheerful as ever." Sarcasm had become the lonely fox's friend. He opened the door wider to let the four in. "What's with the sudden visit?"

"You mean you didn't call him first?" Amy turned on Shadow.

The black male looked rather surprised when she did. Something else flashed in his eyes, but Tails couldn't figure it out. Amy's scent was definitely more alluring though.

The fox, being smart, knew exactly what it was upon a second glance between the two.

 _Shadow better be careful before he dives off the deep end._

Tails closed the door and softly padded over to Amy. He watched Shadow out of the corner of his eye.

 _If Amy's barely started, then Shadow could be more aggressive—unless he's gotten used to it. His control his spectacular however._

The eighteen-year-old was on guard. The last thing he needed was Shadow, a powerful Mobian, to lose control.

 _Something tells me the sight wouldn't be pretty, and the aftermath even worse._

"It's alright, Amy." He gave her a wholehearted grin. "I could use the company."

The blush crept up on Amy, but she walked quickly away. Tails wasn't all too surprised to hear the low snarl building in Shadow's throat. The fox twisted towards him.

Blue eyes stared calmly into red, "How long?"

"Didn't notice until yesterday. Three today, though."

 _Shit._ Tails thought as fear began to grasp at him. _If Shadow doesn't keep it together, Amy might be stuck with him longer than they anticipated. But at least he's kept his cool so far—at most; he's got four more days to go._

"Don't lose it."

"I'm trying," he gritted his teeth. Shadow clenched his fists tighter and stared at the room Amy went into. "It feels like I've been placed in another body, with another mind."

"You get used to it." Tails shrugged as he explained. "I'm not surprised this is hitting you harder than it would have if you'd been younger."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, we are animals first," Tails reminded. "And animals live off basic instincts."

Shadow placed his hand out. "I don't need the lecture," he stopped Tails. "I get it. It's something I need to watch out for if Amy's going to be around longer than planned."

"And what was planned?"

"…Until she found a job. Frankly, that doesn't look to be any time soon. She's getting comfortable."

Tails smirked lightly and crossed his arms. Shadow gave him a knowing look.

"Nothing's going to happen between us. Neither of us is interested. The little situation yesterday doesn't change a damn thing."

Caught off guard, Tails raised an eyebrow. "What situation?"

Red eyes were wider by a fraction. He didn't mean to say that. It sort of blurted out. But he was sometimes prone to do it, being blunt and all. "I might have already lost control."

" _Shadow_."

"Nothing happened," the dark hedgehog assured. "It was only for a moment."

Tails let out a breath of relief.

Shadow truly was a fighter—that and completely stubborn. Even in things of love, he wouldn't fall so easily. Still, Tails knew not even the strongest could fight emotions. Eventually, friendship blossomed into something more—Tails knew that. He'd gone through that, and now it was gone. Love truly wasn't merciful if you didn't fight for it.

"Be careful, Shadow. The last thing we need right now is Sonic decking you all the way to Mars if you so much as touch Amy under the animal influence."

Shadow cracked a smirk, as if liking the sudden challenge. "He is rather protective of her, isn't he?"

"Amy's always been his little sister. Just like I've been his younger brother. He'll do anything if either of us gets hurt. And if it's _you_ that hurts Amy, I'm afraid the punishment would get more personal."

Humming, the dark hero looked out the nearby window.

Tails' house was homey and big enough for more than just him, but the fox was still young. He didn't need to think about settling down and having a family. Sonic was twenty-five and gladly hitting that point.

 _I, on the other hand, am not._

Shadow could make it, he decided. He could survive without love—that's why he had friends, right? To not need love. He cared for his friends, so he didn't need any more company than that. He didn't need any deeper connection.

"I'll keep that in mind," he noted about Sonic's protectiveness. "I planned to avoid her. Unfortunately, she decided that coming over here was good idea. The others thought so too."

"If Sonic and Sarah came, I don't see why you couldn't stay home. If you were so against coming in the first place, I mean." Tails wasn't trying to insult Shadow. He just knew that the ebony male liked his solitude still, and only enjoyed Sonic's company when the blue blur wasn't acting like an irritating child.

"Frankly, I didn't have much of a choice once Sonic and Sarah knew. I didn't drive here. I was held hostage in the back seat."

"And the Ultimate Life Form couldn't fight back?" Tails snorted in humor.

Shadow ignored the chortle. "It was either visit you or fight two girls, one of which was making it very hard to focus on reality."

"Got'cha." Tails ushered him to the kitchen, noticing the trio had gone into the living room to no doubt play his _Wii._ "But I am glad you have a new companion. It's not like Sonic and I won't be around anymore, but Sonic might get busier within a year or two."

Shadow grasped the glass of water that Tails suddenly offered him. He held it and stared down at the clear liquid while thinking. "It wouldn't surprise me if Sonic became a father in the future."

"Yeah. He does like kids. He'll be a good father," Tails nodded in agreement as he looked out the kitchen window. The morning was still cool and foggy.

Things were silent for a second.

"I actually meant that Sonic and Sarah have sex a lot. So it won't be surprising if she gets knocked up. But you know, the good father and liking kids is true, too."

A sigh was inevitable at that point.

* * *

"Yes! I am winning, ladies and gentlemen!"

Amy didn't find the _Wii_ much fun to play after Sonic won every game they played.

Sarah chose to sit on the couch, drink her hot chocolate, and read. Shadow was practically asleep as his sockless feet were about two inches away from Amy's thigh. Tails watched Sonic, who was busy winning, and occasionally talked about wedding plans with him. Sarah would pitch in too, of course.

Amy, overall, was busy looking at Shadow's toes.

 _It's the first I've ever seen him without socks on._

The red streak on his legs carried on like they did on his arms, which meant his little piggy toe and the one next to it were red. Just like his pinkie finger and ring finger were red.

Amy was rather surprised the first time she saw him gloveless.

Eight years had made all the difference. Of course, the heroes weren't fighting and gloves looked rather odd in the human world, so they ditched the gloves altogether. But Shadow had been a part of the few that remained wearing gloves—making him even more different from society.

It seemed his red markings were another reminder of that.

She had never seen anyone with toes or fingers like it. Finding it rather interesting, Amy stared at his clipped toes. She was really resisting the urge to—Oh, what the hell? Shadow was asleep anyway.

Sonic had been in the middle of basking in another victory and answering Tails' questioning about the food menu of the wedding when Amy's voice broke their conversation.

It normally wouldn't have been weird, but Amy was speaking in a baby tone.

Three heads turned to look at her. The fourth didn't need to turn, instead he watched over half opened eyelids while his arms rested behind his head and his toes played the victim to Amy's scheme.

"And this little piggy had roast beef."

Sarah closed her book. Sonic set the _Wii_ remote to his side. Tails gaped in shock.

"What is she doing?"

"Ames?"

"Is she doing This Little Piggy with _Shadow's_ toes?"

Despite them talking, Amy continued with a smile on her face. She found it rather humorous, especially since she was the only one that saw Shadow's confused look. The others were too busy gawking at her.

"This little piggy had none."

"Amy. I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"He's not doing anything though."

"Still. It's _Shadow_."

Shadow didn't care for their words. He was busy watching the puny female in front of him play with his toes.

Play with his toes.

Just when he thought Amy Rose couldn't get any weirder, she was there to set a new record of weirdness.

Still, he didn't find himself annoyed with the action. It didn't quite tickle, and her fingers were soft to the touch against each toe.

"Rose."

Amy stopped abruptly and looked up. Her ears perked towards the ebony hedgehog as she suddenly laughed humorously. "Yes, Shadow?"

Even she noticed the nickname. Her girly side was there to blush, but her logical side was there to acknowledge it as Shadow merely at peace with her.

He didn't have anything to say. Again, her action hadn't annoyed him for some reason. Guessing he was too tired to care, Shadow tilted his head down and closed his eyes again. Amy's feet curled up suddenly. He bent his knees and turned to the side slightly, letting their toes touch.

A throat cleared.

Amy glanced at Tails. "What?" she laughed lightly. "Even he needs to know This Little Piggy."

~.~

Sonic ventured into the kitchen, looking for food in the fridge, when Tails meandered in after him.

"So…Amy's little foot fetish. That was interesting."

The blue male snorted as his head was practically stuck in the fridge. He reached for the milk and grabbed it, standing straight. "At least they aren't arguing. But last night was weird…"

Tails tilted his head slightly. His ears twisted in Sonic's direction and the direction of the living room. An hour had passed since the toe incident. Sarah and Amy were talking in the living room, and Shadow remained asleep.

"Last night?" The fox wasn't sure if Sonic knew about Amy's current situation.

Most likely, his "brother" didn't know, since he had accepted the animal instincts a long time ago upon being with Sarah. Sonic didn't have to fight his primal side. That and being with Sarah meant Sonic rarely looked at another female with interest of being more than friends.

"Yeah," Sonic grabbed a glass from the cupboard as he spoke. "It was a little strange. Amy and I were in the kitchen when she started talking about their day. Flame had Amy watch the kids while he went job hunting. His hypnotizing power was all Amy could really think about."

Tails huffed. "She won't be able to figure it out. I couldn't."

Sonic gave the fox a look. "Don't be jealous if she does, then. But anyway…Shadow walked in and left pretty hurriedly. I can't help but feel like something happened between the two."

"Sonic, Amy's—"

"They were doing so well the past few days, too. I really thought they'd get closer," Sonic muttered to himself. "Not at snail pace. Instead, Shadow just took her advice about the cough syrup and tea thing and ignored her like usual. Amy did the same to him."

"Amy's—"

"Maybe I'm trying too hard," Sonic kept going and ignored Tails.

The fox was about to give up in telling him the news. What if Sonic became too protective of Amy? It wouldn't surprise him. _After Cream…Sonic hardly let me call her…And then she—Ugh. This isn't about Cream and I. It's about Shadow and Amy._

 _But I have to tell Sonic. Shadow might not be able to control himself all of the time, and Amy's menstrual cycle isn't just a one-time thing. It's every month. Sonic has to at least be there to protect her—Sarah needs to be there, too. Just in case. Better to be safe than sorry._

Sonic was still talking to himself, although he thought Tails was truly listening. "I need to be a bit more secretive in my matchmaking. And before you say anything, no. I'm not giving up. I'm not leaving the poor bastard alone. He's helped me and this is the only way I can think of repaying the favor. I know those two can be good for each other, but they have to see what I see.

"I see them evening each other out. I see the puzzle pieces fitting in our puzzle, but only if Shadow's and Amy's go together. I see them being more than friends. Why can't they just accept that? I mean, sure. Both might have some trust issues. I ran from Amy all of the time, but she moved on with Silver and has accepted I'm with Sarah.

"Shadow—well, why wouldn't he have trust issues? Almost every human on this goddamn planet hates him. I've watched him suffer more than any hero should. Amy could be good for him—why can't he just admit it? I know he sees it."

"Because Shadow's always been the loner," Tails commented. "He's used to the solitude. And he might not know what to do with his feelings, just like you said in the store. But maybe it's also because he doesn't want any more responsibility than he already has—and we know he'd feel that way if Amy becomes something more to him. He feels that way now."

Sonic grunted as he leaned against the counter and peered out the window. It was getting a lot of attention today. A light sprinkle of rain had started outside, but nothing else was new. "He cares for all of us. He just…doesn't show it."

"Maybe you should start showing him then—that showing affections isn't bad. Eventually, he has to open up. Then maybe he and Amy's friendship will become something more. But, listen, Sonic, there's something I've got to tell you—"

"Tails, that's brilliant!" Sonic turned around and held onto Tails' shoulders. His glass of milk was left disregarded on the counter a long time ago. "I'll show affection for you guys! Then he has to slowly start following in my footsteps. I mean, he's already begun doing stuff like I do and vice versa.

"I actually rinse my glass out now, and he actually eats breakfast. I lean on the steering wheel, and he began to lean in the exact same way—though it was probably because it looked comfortable and it is. Beside the point!" Sonic was obviously happy with this new found plan. "There's always a reaction. Like that one guy's law."

"Sir Isaac Newton. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction," Tails muttered. It seemed pointless to tell him the news. "But, Sonic—"

"This is going to work. If Shadow doesn't fall for Amy this way, I don't know what else to try—"

"Amy's in heat."

There was a silent pause. Tails watched as Sonic became stern.

A glint of anger passed through those green eyes. " _What?"_ His voice was dangerously low and raspy as a hiss formed.

Tails gulped, feeling slightly bad for Shadow. "Technically, she's just on her period. Humans call it 'in heat' since we're animals with human capabilities. But Mobians have a menstrual cycle like female humans, not an estrous cycle like some female animals. So, the term 'in heat' isn't really true for Mobians. Plus, Amy's not being sexually responsive to any of Shadow's actions—"

And in a flash, Sonic was gone.

Tails realized his ending words and widened his eyes. The words made it sound like Shadow had actually tried to seduce Amy. But he didn't—he wouldn't. Would he?

Sighing, Tails did the nerdiest thing he could think of.

"I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies but not the madness of people."

He quoted Sir Isaac Newton.

Because that was the thing to do when dealing with impossible friends.

* * *

Amy and Sarah _had_ been talking.

Shadow _had_ been sleeping.

While Sonic and Tails vanished into the kitchen, Amy glanced over at Sarah. She was reading a book and trying to have her hot chocolate last. Shadow was almost curled up all the way as he was sound asleep.

"So..."

Sarah looked up from her book. Reading glasses slipped down a bit before being completely pulled off. "So?"

"Have you figured out everything for the wedding?"

"Most of it. There is some stuff I would like your opinion on, though. Like the flower centerpieces and anything else to decorate the place with."

"Where are you getting married at?"

"It's up by this town called Blackmoor. It's kind of in the mountains. Anyway, there's a swimming pool place there and not far off is this barn that's specifically made for weddings. We went there when one of my college friends got married. It was the first place Sonic suggested, and I agreed. It's quite beautiful."

"That's good," Amy nodded her head, "How far away from here?"

"Two hours, maybe."

"Okay. Flower centerpieces?" She tried to make conversation with Sarah. She was the Maid of Honor after all, "Anything in mind?"

"Well, we wanted it to match the color scheme. While I really wanted to put 'Come to our Fourth of July wedding on May 5th' on our invitations, I restrained myself. Would've been a laugh though…Anyway, I wanted roses for the red, but Sonic thinks that's too generic."

"White roses?"

"Tablecloths are probably going to be white. Sonic didn't want them to blend in."

Amy cocked her head to the side and narrowed an eyebrow. "Why do I get the feeling that Sonic's more into this wedding than you are?"

Sarah set the book down completely and leaned over. She clasped her hands together, "Because it's just a wedding. I'm not a fan of big weddings, and I'm not trying to overdo it. Simplicity in reality, creativity in art. For me, a wedding is not art. It's a ceremony that could be done without fancy objects or extra people."

"I'm not sure if you're being kind to Sonic by doing this or if you're just complaining…"

"A little of both," Sarah shrugged. "It's the least of my worries right now."

"What are you talking about?"

"For one, my parents. They aren't overly fond of Sonic."

"But he saved their lives…" Amy was beyond confused. How could anyone dislike Sonic if they weren't already trying to kill him?

"They think he's a bit of a showoff. Sonic's only _Skyped_ with them once. They're in Hawaii now on some retirement vacation, but my mom still works although she keeps griping about wanting to retire. When I told them I was dating Sonic the Hedgehog, they thought their only daughter was insane. Then they _Skyped_ and haven't let it go since."

"Let it go?"

"He won't want to settle down. He's just looking for sex. He's not a commitment type of guy. He'll use you. Go back to your other boyfriend—we liked him. Same ole, same ole," Sarah shrugged again. "But I just ignore it. I mean, Sonic and I have stayed by each other for nearly four years now. He's been nothing but generous, loyal, respective and committed."

"And you?"

"Loyal to a fault," Sarah responded. "If the person doesn't have common sense though, I fail to respect them. Generous when I'm not being a pain in the ass."

"Commitment?"

"One of my many phobias. I'm a bit of a scaredy cat trapped inside a blunt bitch and wrapped in a nerdy, artsy video gamer. Only the people who get used to it stick around."

"I guess that's for the better," Amy noted. "Then you get honest people with common sense and similar interests."

"Exactly. My mother thinks I'm a bit too dependent though. On Sonic, particularly. She's the big pusher about breaking it off with him. I'm not gonna lie, she keeps telling me over texts about the future. After the wedding, what marriage is like— _kids_. She's trying to scare me out of it; I can tell."

Amy mulled it over as Sarah looked at her. "Are you afraid of marriage?"

The lime green hedgehog was silent. She glanced over at Shadow, who was still fast asleep. Sighing, Sarah unfolded her legs. "A little. I'm not sure what to expect. But it's like me to freak out about things until it happens. Then I'm fine."

"What about kids?" Amy feared. "You're not the kid person, but Sonic is. What happens when you're not ready and Sonic is?"

Sarah glanced away. "That's one thing I'm afraid of the most. After marriage, I know it will only be a matter of time before Sonic wants kids of his own. Seeing him with Petunia and Jeffery only confirms it. I just hope he'll understand my answer."

"Which is?"

"I'm not ready." Sarah picked at the fabric on her shirt.

They stopped talking until a thought hit Amy. She stared up at the other female in the room. "What are your other worries?"

"What?" The question caught her off guard.

Amy leaned back on the couch. "You're worried about the wedding. About the future. But you only stated one worry, which was your parents, but implied there was more than one."

A slight smirk. "Nothing gets past you, Amy. Well, almost." Sarah folded her arms across her chest and exhaled heavily. "I'm just concerned about something is all. Nothing for you to worry about."

"Oh?"

"Not exactly your business."

"Oh…"

It was as if Shadow had said the words instead of Sarah. The two were similar in keeping their noses out of other people's business most of the time. Amy was a little too curious about everything.

Still, Sarah contrasted from Shadow. Shadow would've dropped the subject, but Sarah didn't. "If you were faced with one of your fears, what would you do?"

Amy tried to piece together what she meant by that. But Sarah said it herself—she had many fears. It could've been anything. "Depending on the fear would depend on what I would do."

"Something life altering."

Trying to think, Amy responded after a slight moment of silence. "Well, how bad is it?"

"Could be good. Could be bad. Let's say it's neutral. It has the ability to be either. Like him," Sarah nodded her head towards Shadow, who looked innocent when asleep.

Amy stopped to stare at the male. She mentally shook her head and went back to Sarah. "I would face it. I wouldn't run from it, that's for sure. But you and I aren't alike. If you're secretly more of a scaredy cat than I am, then you'd probably run from it or seek aid from another. I would do what I could on my own first, and then accept help if I need to later on."

Nodding, Sarah pondered over the words. "And what if there's more than one fear I'm facing? And they aren't alike at all?"

"Well…In battle, I would fear for my life. And I would fear for others. But I knew that my life had to come second. The other people had to come first."

"Sonic was right when he said you were selfless beyond comparison to any other being on Earth."

Ignoring the blush, Amy thought about her previous words. "Does that example help though?"

"Not really. One fear is neutral—the outcome can be good or bad. One fear is…completely bad." Brown eyes met green in an intense gaze. "What would you do?"

Amy had to stare in wonder.

 _Neutral and bad. How would I work with that? Oh, I need an example, but what? Well, I could fear spiders. They aren't particularly bad or good. It depends on the move I make. But my other fear is their poison, which is bad. But nothing about the example is life altering unless I make the wrong move._

"I guess…You should play it safe. Make the fear that's bad not happen. Let the neutral fear do what it does."

Sarah slumped against the couch and closed her eyes. Her response was obvious silence, but Amy didn't mind. Instead, the pink hedgehog leaned forward, although they were a good seven feet away from each other.

"Can I ask what one of the fears is?"

"Only one."

Amy bit her bottom lip. "The bad fear?"

"My mother."

The rose hedgehog only had a few seconds to think about her words.

 _Sarah fears her own mother? Or does she fear what her mother would do or say—which would ultimately be bad? I'm going with both. They go hand in hand, really._

 _If her mother is truly as bad as she says…I don't want to meet her._

"SHADOW!"

Her few seconds to think were up.

* * *

 _The alarm clock blasted out, but it was no match for him._

 _Shadow shut it off quickly and groggily sat up. He woke up in his house while lying in his bed. But things weren't the same. His brain told him things weren't the same._

 _Glancing at the clock, it didn't say five in the morning like it normally did. Instead, it had weird Greek looking symbols. He shook his head and the numbers came back to read: 5:32._

 _Oh, no. He'd slept in thirty minutes._

 _Not even bothering to get changed, Shadow walked out of the room. Down the hallway, he zipped past the living room. Opening the front door, he only saw piles of snow. Pajama pants were wet by the time he took five steps._

 _Glancing up, he saw across the house what looked to be a barn. A barn—a new barn—stood before him. Shadow couldn't remember making the new barn, but it looked nice._

 _He was late in feeding the animals, so he didn't care how the barn built itself in one night._

 _Hurrying to the barn, he opened the door and walked in._

 _Oh, what a sight._

 _It was then that Shadow began thinking something was wrong. Instead of cows, there were llamas. Instead of horses, there were more llamas. The inside of the barn looked nice though._

" _Hey! Why are you slacking? Get to feedin'!"_

 _Sonic's voice boomed overhead._

 _Shadow craned his neck to look up. In the loft, Sonic stared down at him with an angered look. "What makes you think that you can rest? Get to work!"_

 _Instead of retorting, Shadow quickly finished feeding all of the llamas that weren't his. But strangely, he felt like they were. Everything made sense, yet something in the back of his mind told him he didn't own a single llama._

 _Shrugging everything off, Shadow headed back inside for breakfast. It was the normal routine after all._

 _The snow piled up and he barely got into the house. He was greeted with the smell of eggs and bacon—and also an unexpected sight._

" _Sheesh, there you are. God, you're so slow," Sarah spoke as she rested her hands on her protruding belly. "Where's Sonic?"_

 _He couldn't respond._

 _But the sight of Sarah heavily pregnant didn't make him confused._

 _His mind seemed to think everything was all right. Like his alarm clock only showed Greek symbols at first, that his new barn had built itself in one night, that he owned llamas, and that Sonic ordered him around. Not to mention Sarah. And the fact that Sarah and Sonic were still in his house—everything made sense in his brain._

 _But there was that nagging voice that kept telling him, 'This isn't right.'_

" _God, you're so annoying," Sarah growled. It was obvious she was rather moody, especially when a little mini Sonic ran up and hugged her around the legs. "Ugh. Look, Amy's making breakfast."_

 _Escaping Sarah and her change in behavior, Shadow went into the kitchen cautiously._

" _Oh, there you are!"_

 _Lips suddenly crashed with his. His arms automatically snaked around hips and tugged the lips closer. His eyes had shut a long time ago as he enjoyed the sensation._

 _He'd never felt this feeling. He had never kissed anyone before—at least that's what the sensible side told him. The Shadow in the dream acted as if he were kissed all the time. It still left tingles of warmth either way._

 _Then the lips were no longer on his, and he was peering down at Amy, wearing what looked to be a maternity shirt._

 _A sudden warning went off in his head. 'This is definitely not right! This is completely wrong! What's happening?! Why is everything going by so fast?! What is this?!'_

 _But Shadow in the dream felt no confusion._

" _I'm just finishing up. Can you go wake the kids?"_

 _Kids. He had kids._

' _Okay, Shadow. Time to wake up. This is getting insane. You don't own llamas, Sarah's not pregnant, you're not with Amy, and you certainly don't have children with her!'_

 _The Shadow in the dream didn't respond. Instead, he walked out of the kitchen after giving Amy another peck on the cheek. Then he was gone and down the hallway. His legs seemed to carry him instinctively._

' _Mayday! Mayday! Get out of here! WAKE UP.'_

 _He reached for the door knob on the right, where Sarah and Sonic's old bedroom was. Shadow barely twisted the knob when someone hollered his name._

"SHADOW!"

Panting, the ebony male breathed heavily up at the ceiling. Things became clear.

It was a dream.

It had all been a scary dream.

His new barn wasn't completely built. His alarm clock wasn't whack. He didn't own llamas. Sarah and Sonic had no kids. He and Amy certainly weren't together. And he wasn't the father of her children either.

Shadow was at Tails' house. He'd fallen asleep on the couch. That's it.

Catching his breath, Shadow noticed he shot forward upon waking up. He glanced over at Amy and Sarah. The two females were watching him warily.

And then Sonic came storming into the room.

The ebony male was still trying to avoid Amy's eye contact, as well as Sarah's now too. Now he had to deal with Sonic still ordering him around.

It was obvious the hero wanted to clobber him, too.

Sonic stood, shaking in front of Shadow. Tails hurried into the room with worried eyes.

"Sonic—" The fox was cut off though.

" _You bastard."_

"She was pregnant with your kid, I swear!"

…

…

…

That definitely wasn't what they expected to hear. But Shadow could only think of the nightmare that had just enfolded.

"…What?" Sonic blinked and raised an eyebrow. "I'm talking about Amy."

Reality became clear to him completely. Events of yesterday and the day before and the ten years prior all came back to him. Shadow slumped down. "Right…I just…had a nightmare."

Sonic kept his brow raised. It certainly wasn't like Shadow to trail off during speech. "Are you feeling okay?"

Everyone watched the ebony male with concern.

It'd been a long time since Shadow had _dreamed._ Actually dreamt. And it just had to be more of a nightmare than anything.

Red eyes were wide the entire time upon waking up, but Shadow didn't realize it. The dream and reality were blurring, and he couldn't tell what was happening anymore.

It felt like something or someone was messing with him.

"…There were so many llamas."

* * *

It was almost midnight.

The bright light of the computer screen blared throughout the basement room. Amy typed away while talking to a certain someone.

She figured the day couldn't get any odder after the toe thing. And then Shadow turned around and made them seriously question his sanity.

 _Silver: He really said that?_

 _Amy: Wouldn't stop mumbling about llamas for the next ten minutes. We just decided to leave, and get him home. I don't think it's the cold talking though._

 _Silver: What could it possibly be? I'm laughing my ass off, though._

 _Amy: He said he didn't have many dreams. I guess he was so exhausted and so much had happened that he finally dreamed when he fell asleep—but it turned out to be some nightmare._

 _Silver: A nightmare about llamas. Classic._

She bit her fingernail. Fifteen minutes until midnight. She should be in bed—but the couch was uncomfortable, and the day was too weird not to say anything to her best friend now.

 _Amy: I don't think that's all it was. He said something along the lines, "She's pregnant with your kid, I swear." He sort of yelled it out. But I don't think he was talking about me, since Sonic said he was talking about me, and Shadow seemed even more confused. I think he was talking about Sarah in the dream._

 _Silver: Sarah, then? Maybe he was having a nightmare about them still living in his house. XD_

 _Amy: Could be. I'm worried for him though. Despite the whole "animal instinct" incident, I don't hate him. He's a friend. Sort of. Well, he has his good moments._

 _Silver: Speaking about animal instincts._

There was a pause, so Amy typed.

 _Amy: What?_

 _Silver: Remember Sally Acorn?_

The name had been engraved in Amy's head the moment Sonic started to date Sally back in Mobius.

It was six months before the Eggman disaster. They'd broken up mutually after those six months, thinking it would be better if they focused on saving Mobius first.

 _Amy: Yeah. I remember. What about her?_

 _Silver: Have you kept tabs on her?_

 _Amy: Not really. She was nice and all, but…I never actually saw her as a friend. All because I was obsessed with Sonic. I never gave her a chance. Didn't hear anything from her after the group went to the city._

 _Silver: She and Sonic got into this huge fight. She'd lost her parents and her throne. Then her boyfriend. They were going to get back together after everything was resolved, but neither predicted that Mobius would be entirely lost. We all figured it would survive. Then when we realized it wouldn't, Tails made the portal with the use of the Chaos emeralds and the Master Emerald._

 _Silver: After we got to Earth and defeated Eggman once and for all, Sally wasn't sure she wanted to be with Sonic anymore. The long battle got her thinking about life or some shit. Sonic got upset. The two exchanged some nasty words and left. Sonic came with us, and Sally was left as an outsider._

Amy frowned at the news.

She couldn't believe it. Miss Perfect became Miss Outcast. Why had they fought though? That wasn't like Sonic and Sally. They were such a perfect couple back then—Amy was sure they would've gotten married. That's why she felt some surprise when Sonic said he was dating someone else. That girl had vanished after two months, though.

And then eight years went by. Somewhere along that time, Sonic had met Sarah. Sally was supposedly forgotten.

 _Amy: I feel bad for her now. What happened to her?_

 _Silver: Don't be. She's making it pretty good as whatever the hell she does now. She studies Mobian behavior. Apparently, she's kind of obsessed with the idea of how mates respond and interact._

 _Amy: There's the "speaking of animal instinct" thing I was waiting for. So, she's like some professional on it?_

 _Silver: In Mobian behavior? There's no one better. Blaze occasionally talks to her actually, ever since she read Sally's first book. She's got five out so far. They're like psychology books but about Mobian behavior. It was a little interesting in the first book—at first. Then I got lost on chapter seven and gave up reading them altogether._

The rose hedgehog pondered for a moment or two.

 _Amy: And what? You want me to read Sally Acorn's books?_

 _Silver: It might help—dealing with Shadow and all. They're under the name Ally Scorn though. Some Mobians still know her as Princess, so she published under a different name. Blaze had a hunch when one of Sally's examples in the story was very similar to a story Sally told Blaze once. Whole reason Blaze figured out it was actually Sally._

 _Amy: But wouldn't people know she's Sally Acorn if she's so good at what she does?_

 _Silver: That's what I asked. Blaze did, too. She only responded that people knew her as Ally Scorn. Not Sally Acorn. Only a few know her real name. The rest think Princess Sally Acorn is dead and that Ally Scorn just looks similar. She looks a bit different now, though._

 _Amy: At least she's doing good and keeping busy—forgetting about Sonic. Did she hear Sonic was dating? I mean, the first girl was totally in secret, but Sonic said it to the public. There was some news article about it._

 _Silver: It was Mina._

Those words couldn't have been a bigger dagger. Mina? How could Sonic go to Mina?

 _Amy: …Wow. How did those two meet again?_

 _Silver: Mina was trying to get noticed. She was thrown into a new planet, literally. With people who just didn't like her music. They still don't. She dated Sonic for a while when they met up. I think he reached out to her._

 _Amy: What happened to their relationship then? If not Sally, it should've been Mina._

 _Silver: That's what I thought. They broke up by the time we moved to New York. Apparently, Mina thought Ash was dead._

 _Amy: Impossible. We knew familiar faces that went into the portal. I was there when Ash went in. He was frantic and looking for Mina. That's one of the most vivid flashbacks I still have. It was right before the portal started to collapse in on itself._

 _Silver: Long story short, Mina broke it off with Sonic to go back to Ash. They've been together ever since. I think they got married last spring. Sonic didn't seem to mind, though. I mean, I was there. We were at one of her gigs. Ash just strolled right up, looking at Mina as if he'd found Heaven. Tears were a-flowing that night. Let me tell you._

 _Amy: You don't have to. XP But what about Sally? Back to her._

 _Silver: What about her? She heard about Sonic and Mina. Blaze and Sally caught up about two years ago, when the first book came out—Blaze never told you because it was Sally. She didn't think you'd be too interested. Sally wasn't completely heartbroken about Sonic and Mina though, but she could've been hiding it. She's got a boyfriend now, for about three years or so._

Feeling slightly better for the chipmunk, Amy grinned somewhat and continued to type in response.

 _Amy: Good for her. It's nice to see some do better than I ever did. But at least we all made it out. Some weren't as fortunate. Where is Sally now, though?_

There was a long pause. All the screen said was 'Silver is typing…'

She picked at her nails. Butch was asleep at her feet. The screen was seriously bright. The clock was now midnight.

It was a new day.

A new day, and she was still stuck there like the helpless little girl she'd always been.

At least Mina was doing well. At least Sally was moving on. Everyone seemed to have it better than Amy, but maybe she was just feeling pity for herself.

The familiar ding broke her train of thought.

 _Silver: She lives pretty close to you actually._


	15. The Leverage

**STH © SEGA**

 **Sarah and Sam © Cozy Shadow**

 **Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _Shadow's in Sonic Boom…Shadow the Hedgehog is FINALLY in Sonic Boom…I cannot wait for the English version episode to come out! XD Of course, they would have Shadow in the last episode of the season, too. Ugh. Now I have to wait for the next season as well…_

 _Also, I've got some news:_

 _Since I've had some additional ideas, I need to rethink the plot. Therefore, I'm on hiatus after this chapter. :/ Sorry, readers! It'll only be about a week or so, so don't fret. :D_

 _The schedule will definitely be changed because of the change in plot (the story might actually be longer than the original now and the batches might be different). I had last minute ideas and was like, 'I've got to do it.' :) So I hope you readers won't be too upset with me._

 _The TCG schedule thing on my profile will simply say, 'On week hiatus for rescheduling…' Until I get the final (hopefully *crosses fingers*) schedule written down. Thanks!_

 _ALSO: If some of you read this and are like, 'What about Sally?' She's not mentioned in this chapter because honestly...I fucking forgot last minute and was like, 'Fuck it.' So yeah...Sally will be mentioned later! It'll be great. *waves angered readers off* Go have a doughnut!_

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen:**

 **The Leverage**

That morning was the start of a new day.

No more llamas.

Shadow drank the orange juice greedily as Amy filed in. Sonic left early to help a customer in search of a swather. Sarah had left ten minutes ago. Overall, it was 7:58 a.m. on a Thursday morning.

Still no llamas.

No weird dreams to be exact.

Shadow slept like a baby, although the expression never made sense to him because the infants he had watched (Petunia and Jeffery) never slept soundly. Petunia woke up continuously and moved around a lot. Jeffery was the same, only had less nightmares.

 _I better they never dreamed about llamas before._

He was rather happy to see his cows and horses in place that morning. The cows seemed interested in the sudden pat they got on their forehead. The horses had a good rubbing and their coats were shinier.

 _I didn't sleep in either. I woke up at 4:30 and have already accomplished so much._

Shadow the Hedgehog felt good. It was a new day, and it was going to be better than yesterday.

Even the dog got a good scratching behind the ears. Butch had rested beside his master's chair up until Amy walked in.

"Good morning."

The rose hedgehog had to stop and stare at Shadow. "Good morning," she responded rather slowly. Making her way to the cupboard, she grabbed a glass and then filled it with water. "How are you feeling today?"

"Better." Shadow was rather talkative all of a sudden. It made Amy ponder. Perhaps the ebony male was still sick. "Although the new barn still hasn't built itself, I am the proud owner of no llamas and am still childless."

Green eyes half squinted at him.

Although Shadow definitely had a happier aura around him, his words were enough to make Amy think he was completely off his rockers.

"That must've been some nightmare, then." Amy sat beside him, as he was perched in his usual seat at the head of the table. "Too bad the new barn isn't built, though."

"The llamas didn't spit at me fortunately."

"And the child thing?"

Shadow paused as his glass of orange juice rested on his lips. It suddenly didn't look so bright and inviting anymore. It tasted mediocre, too. Setting the glass down, Shadow avoided Amy's look. "Yes."

"You had a nightmare…that you were a…father?" Amy guessed leisurely. Her fingers grasped the cold glass of water loosely.

Red eyes looked at anything but her still. "Yes."

"And how was that?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Never actually _saw_ the children—but yo—" He cut himself off to save his words. "But someone implied I had kids with them. That and I believe she was wearing a maternity shirt."

"Oh?" Amy raised an interested, teasing eyebrow. She leaned towards him. "You know what a maternity shirt looks like now?" She blinked innocently, noticing that he was looking at the table rather than her.

"She had a growing stomach…" he mumbled.

Suddenly, his day wasn't so good anymore.

Why did Amy Rose have to show up and interrogate him about his nightmare? Why did she have to be the one in his nightmare that he was mated to and had kids with?

"Who was it?"

"What?"

Shadow was caught off guard and actually dared to look at her. Amy was blinking unknowingly at him still. Swallowing down the apprehension, Shadow clutched onto his glass.

"Who was she?"

"Why would that matter?" He glanced away.

Amy frowned at him. His nightmare was rather hilarious to her, but a part of her truly wanted to know who the female was. Her girly side told her that could've been her—since Shadow was avoiding her gaze and all. Her logical side, however, was there to say otherwise.

"Maybe it was actually the future."

Shadow choked on the sip of orange juice he had taken to evade answering further questions. He set it down and exhaled heavily after catching his breath. "I highly doubt that," he rasped.

"Oh?" Amy straightened up. "Why's that? Is she a celebrity you have the hots for?"

Shadow told himself to lie. "No," he truthfully spoke. He couldn't lie. He just wasn't about to tell the full truth either. "I knew her. Someone I used to know—or thought I knew."

A sudden image of Rouge flashed through Amy's head. She stopped her teasing and slumped down in her seat. A part of her was depressed and another part of her was angry.

 _Stupid, Amy. Of course, it's Rouge. Why would it be you? Stop thinking like a fangirl! Then again Rouge is taken…Still; it would make sense with his words._

Still, the thoughts of being with Shadow had never truly left Amy. Ever since Silver's suggestion, Amy found herself at battle with her thoughts.

Sometimes, she fooled her brain into thinking the Ultimate Life Form was being friendly because he actually liked her. Other times, she pitied herself because they could, and would, never be anything but friends.

 _It wouldn't work, Amy. Don't fool yourself. He doesn't like you. He's being a friend—that's all you two will ever be._ She thought as a part of her seemed to crumble—the fangirl part. It seemed to die a lot. Then if Shadow made a single movement, her fangirl side was resurrected and more powerful than before.

"Maybe it means you two will be together again," Amy shrugged and got up from her seat. "There's no harm in trying to find a partner, Shadow. After I get back on my two feet, perhaps I'll start to date again."

She ignored his quills twitching, but she noticed it. She ignored it for the sake of her fangirl side. But, still, it was a noticeable movement from the male.

 _He's only being like that because we're both without mates, and I'm currently on my period. It doesn't help with our animal instincts telling us to settle down. Once my period's over, everything will go back to normal, and we'll be civilized people._

A blush had crept up on her cheeks however.

"And just where were you planning on finding a job? Where were you going to live?" Shadow's sudden questions made them both wonder. "Are you staying in this area or going back to New York?"

"I…" Amy stammered and went to grab her drink. Instead, her shaking fingers hit it, and the glass hit the table as the water spilled over Shadow.

The male was quick to stand, but the bottom of his shirt and top of his pants were wet. He growled under his breath.

"I'm sorry!" Amy bit her bottom lip. "I thought it was further than what it actually was!"

On instinct, Amy reached for the paper towel dispenser in the middle of the table and ripped a couple sheets off. Wasting no time, she pressed her hand against Shadow's wet clothes, just above his jeans. She felt the muscle of his lower abdomen and gulped in sudden realization.

Shadow had frozen completely upon feeling her touch him—the sparks shot through him lightly and disappeared just as quick.

"Oh," Amy's blush never failed to deepen. She looked away as she handed him the paper towel sheets. "I'm sorry. I panicked."

His hands skimmed hers. "They're just clothes, Amy." The paper towels were in his grasp now, and Amy quickly cleaned any water on the counter after ripping more paper towels off the dispenser.

Their arms brushed together in their haste to clean up the mess.

Eyes locked on to one another. Silence filled the gap between them and all around for extra measure. The blush never left her cheeks. His breath had never been so close to her before.

"Um…" Amy swallowed. She blinked away from the trance and finished cleaning up the mess. Shadow watched with a curious gaze.

Just what was that moment all about? He hadn't the faintest clue. But something—the feeling deep inside that had started to grow—seemed to develop towards the young flower. The feeling was still foreign to the hero, but he knew it had its eyes set on Amy.

But what was the feeling? Shadow didn't have a clue about that one either. Something like kindness with warmth and a protective layer was involved, that much he knew. He couldn't think of the specific name however.

The feeling was gone once the phone rang.

Amy stammered some more and rushed to grab it. Picking it up, Amy nearly whispered, "Hello?"

Shadow watched as he unbuttoned his flannel shirt. Amy had her back turned for now. She clutched the sink and did her best to block out her idiotic move of hitting the glass.

" _Hey, Ames. Listen, does Shadow have any plans today? I left in such a hurry to help this customer that I forget to ask him myself."_

"I don't know. I'll ask him." Amy turned and was met with a shirtless Shadow. He wasn't paying attention. He was too busy ripping off a stray piece of fabric from his shirt. Amy grasped the phone tighter as her voice became dry.

 _What the heck is happening to me? I think_ I'm _feeling the effects of this menstrual cycle and animal instincts now. Oh, no…Please just let it be the fangirl in me resurfacing._

"Um…" Amy cleared her throat and red eyes met her green. "Shadow wants to…I mean, Sonic knows. I mean…" She narrowed her eyebrows and closed her eyes. The shirtless male in front of her was _not_ helping her think straight.

" _Ames? Amy, you there? You okay?"_

Shadow walked towards her and took the phone. "Yes?"

" _Shadow, what's up with Amy?"_

"Effects of primal instincts," Shadow guessed as Amy leaned up against the counter. "Now what do you need?"

"… _Shadow."_

"Better make it quick," the ebony male seemed to snap. He didn't care for Sonic's protective, fatherly gaze over Amy anymore and especially now. Sonic had been nothing but a pest last night—not wanting them in the same room and breathing down their necks. "I'm currently shirtless and who knows how long Amy can keep control."

" _I swear to God…"_

"Clock is ticking, Sonic."

" _I need you to run into town for me and pick up the stuff on the list that's on the fridge from Home Depot. I would say not to take Amy with you but…"_

"You need a female's opinion and Sarah's at work."

" _Unfortunately. Keep an eye on Amy, Shadow. And if I learned that you did anything to her—"_

"Noted. Goodbye, Faker." Shadow hung up and put the phone in its holder. Amy was still in her spot. He turned to leave and change his clothes, but Amy's hand latched out onto his arm. "Oh, no," he muttered in irritation.

The clock just ran down to zero.

Amy panted unevenly as she opened her eyes and looked up. Dilated and with a lost look, the green eyes seemed to search for Shadow. Her nose twitched and she tightened her hold. It didn't faze him.

"Amy. Let go."

He gripped her hand softly and tugged it away from him. She released a whimper. Shadow softly stared at her and held her hand, rubbing it soothingly. "Rose. Don't lose control. Fight it. You're not an animal. Just a few more days and everything will be back to normal." _Until next month._

Her body went limp. Eyelids fluttered and Amy's green eyes were back to show more color than just black. She breathed out heavily and slumped against the counter. Shadow steadied her.

"Better?"

"I'm sorry." Her hand went to her head, as if checking for a fever. "I get like this sometimes. Sex driven more than anything. It always feels like I'm running a fever. It happened right before I lost control with my coworker back in New York…"

Shadow's hand was cool to the touch as he set it against her blazing forehead. He hummed in thought and cleared his throat. "I have to run into town. But I need you with me because I need a female's opinion. Sonic left a list on the fridge. We're just going to _Home Depot_. Think you can handle that?"

"Yes," Amy tried to catch her breath.

"Good," Shadow stepped away. "For extra precautions, I'm going to do something. Now, don't freak out. It's only so males don't see your vulnerability."

Amy squeaked as soon as Shadow was practically on top of her. His breath skimmed her ear as he seemed to rub against her. His scent filled her senses and she crumpled against his hold. A weak mewl came out of her as he rubbed their heads together. His nose buried into her shoulder as his hands held her hips steady.

The rose hedgehog was trying to think. It was impossible.

Shadow felt no animal inside of him. His control had banished the primal instinct from appearing for a long while.

Now, he was helping her.

If he made her smell like him, then it would appear they were mates. No males would take a chance at Amy then. And Amy wouldn't fall for them under her sex driven instincts and their seducing ways. Plus, Shadow could get his task done quicker if Amy cooperated.

He stopped after another minute. Amy was completely limp against him. Shadow sighed and picked her up. "I have to get ready and take a shower. You can stay in my room for now."

The extra time for her to acquire his scent was useful. So, Shadow didn't mind setting her down in his bed. He watched her as she curled up around the sheets and nuzzled the pillow before he set off towards the shower with new clothes in hand.

Amy purred against the scent of a male. It had been forever since she had been like so, and the hopeless romantic loved it.

She closed her eyes in peace and inhaled the scent of a familiar hedgehog—she couldn't remember his name at the time however. Hopefully, the female would wake up sane after Shadow finished his shower.

For now, she slipped easily into the dream world.

* * *

Amy was silent during the drive.

Shadow didn't mind. She had time to collect her thoughts and make sure she kept control. It was difficult at first, he noticed. He had to physically buckle her in her seat. She became limp with his touch.

The rose hedgehog leaned up against the cool window and breathed heavily. Her little power nap in Shadow's bedroom helped calm her nerves. "Shadow?"

"Hm?"

She needed to hear some one's voice. She felt all alone suddenly. Like in New York. It was different now—having company almost all of the time. "What all do we need to get?"

"Whatever's on the list, I suppose. I didn't quite look at it. I was busy." Busy dealing with Amy. He didn't say the last part, but they both thought it.

Amy slunk down in her seat and twiddled her clasped fingers. "Do Tails and Cream talk often?"

"They did a year or two ago." His voice was comforting to hear. Amy didn't feel so alone anymore. She tilted her head in his direction as he continued, "I failed to mention something last time though."

"What?"

"They had a falling out maybe a year ago. I don't know the details, but I do know that they were having a secret relationship."

Tails and Cream secretly dating? Why? It didn't make sense to Amy. She bit her bottom lip.

"Why on Earth would they do that?"

Shadow exhaled. "They were both young. I'm not sure if her mother didn't approve or if she found someone else—people don't tell me things that match."

"Who told you what?"

"Tails said the latter. Sonic talked about her mother not approving. That was all he said. He seemed pretty upset with the situation. I'm sure he lectured Tails on it. The fox boy is fine though. I mean, he was living on his own by age fourteen."

"How is that even legal?"

"The government gives anything to the world's heroes. That and Sonic had a good talk with them too."

"Sonic really does back Tails up, doesn't he?"

"He backs anyone up."

Amy glanced out the window. She sighed and watched the window get foggy by her nose. "Then why did Tails give me her number?"

"He gave you Cream's number?"

"Yes. The day we met up with him at the grocery store."

Shadow hummed in thought. "I don't think that's a good idea, Amy."

"What?"

"Conversing with the rabbit. Sonic doesn't like her."

That was news.

Amy sat up straight and watched the ebony hedgehog carefully. His gaze was shifted towards the road, and both hands were on the steering wheel. The radio was tuned in on an old rock n' roll music station—which seemed rather fitting for Shadow.

"But why would Sonic despise Cream?"

"With the little information I have to go on, I assume she broke up with Tails. He did look heartbroken a winter ago."

Amy couldn't believe it. "But Cream was always so nice…That doesn't make sense."

"People change," Shadow shrugged and glanced at her. "You said so yourself."

He got her there.

Amy looked back out the window, trying to process the information. She didn't want to admit that what Shadow said was true. She didn't want to think about Cream as a different acting person, especially one that secretly dated or broke hearts.

She wanted the old Cream back, but people _did_ change.

The rose hedgehog just didn't want it to be true.

* * *

"Okay, we go in, get the stuff, get out. Got it?"

Shadow pushed the cart as manly as possible while making sure Amy stuck to his side. A male in the parking lot had already given them a look—more like Amy a look.

The ebony hedgehog felt a growl rumble deep in his throat.

Sliding doors opened for them and the two were inside _Home Depot._ Amy clutched onto his arm, shakily following him.

"Got it."

"No wandering off."

"Got it," she whispered again. Her eyes searched the big, giant place.

And then the scents hit her.

Hot cheetah over by the cashier. Smoking hot beaver at the return desk. And the worker…was positively drool worthy.

Amy whimpered and let go of Shadow's arm. The dark hero mumbled in a reprimanding manner, linking their arms together again. "Don't get sidetracked."

Again, she whispered, "Got it."

Shadow tugged her along and went through an aisle. The list was rather long, but held specific items sold separately. The dark male wanted to scratch his quills out. Not only did he have to shop for Sonic, he had a long list and a vulnerable female without a leash.

 _I wonder if they sell those here…_

Red eyes glanced at a chain in all seriousness before he mentally shook his head.

 _No, Shadow. You're not chaining Amy to the cart no matter how much it would help this visit go by smoother._

"What are we doing?"

"Finding counter tops first. Apparently Sonic wants to remodel his new house," Shadow muttered and then yanked Amy along for the ride.

"Can I use the restroom?" she meekly asked a blush crept up on her muzzle. Timidly, Amy looked down at the cement flooring.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Yes, whatever."

Since he knew where to go, Shadow led her to the restrooms.

Next to the lavatories was something on the list: shower nozzles. Shadow glanced down at the long list and read Sonic's extra note of preference. The blue speedsters really thought everything out.

"I'll be right over here. Meet me here," he ordered the pink flower as she stumbled into the bathroom.

Amy breathed out a sigh of relief as soon as the door closed.

She could focus now.

Staring at the mirror, she combed through her long quills and set it up in a ponytail. Fixing her shirt, Amy looked at her attire. Not bad overall. Any guy in the store would fall for her, she just knew it.

Now she just had to ditch the deadweight.

 _I'm not going to be his little pet._ Amy poked her out of the bathroom door and searched for the certain male she didn't want to attract. _He's nowhere in sight. Good._

Zipping out of view, Amy hurried down one aisle and out of the way of the restrooms. She knew she had to be quick or else Shadow would catch onto her.

But something nagged at the back of her brain and told her to explore this new, glorious place with Mobians of the opposite sex that were single and ready to mingle.

It didn't take long to find one either.

Another good looking worker was setting bolts into their rightful containers and scratching something off his clipboard. He was a maroon hedgehog, a little shorter than Flame but still taller than Shadow, and he had welcoming green eyes.

 _He looks good._

Her instincts were making her head towards him to see his full potential. Amy was merely following those instincts like a love-struck teenager.

 _But what if he's got a girlfriend? Or wife? And kids? Oh, God. This is a terrible idea._

Two steps into the aisle and Amy raced away.

The worker glanced up but saw nothing but a flash of movement. He shrugged and went back to stocking the shelves.

Amy panted as she ran towards an open door.

 _Freedom!_

She ran through the sliding door that had opened just for her. Stopping abruptly, Amy noticed it wasn't quite outside. It was, but it was the garden center.

Bare and boring.

A young human worker sat on his chair by his forgotten cash register stand. Amy discreetly walked out and back into the warmth of the store.

 _Okay, not freedom._

She eyed the people around her. Most were humans. It was as if God had known her plan and made all the males hide. Amy scowled and walked through the potted plants inside of the store.

She eyed a snake plant, which was simply tall and striped.

Standing there for a good five minutes, Amy pondered to herself. Part of her told her to go back to Shadow. Another part told her to ditch him altogether and go find a hot date.

But the pink hedgehog would not be swayed. She had to maintain control, like Shadow. Amy focused on looking at the boring plant and forgetting that males even existed.

"Finding everything okay, Miss?"

The sweet voice caught her ears.

Amy whipped her head to the right and was met with green eyes much like her own. They were warm and humorous filled.

Looking at the sudden intruder, Amy noticed one thing. He was Mobian. And a _he._

Technically speaking, those were two things, but Amy didn't care. She simply stared at him longer than usual. He seemed to be her age, and was probably a college student working there. He had the worker's vest on top of a long sleeved navy blue shirt.

He had light gray fur and his quills were put up in ponytail. A silver piercing was snug against his left ear. Amy bit her bottom lip at the attractive thing in front of her.

"Just fine."

"Oh, my God…" The worker seemed to pause as his expression became one of a realization. "You're Amy Rose."

She was sure her cheeks were red still. "Yes. That's me."

"Wow. You're even more beautiful in person," he flattered. "My name's Joshua."

Amy shook his hand lightly. There were no tingles. She didn't know why that mattered though.

… _Because there are sparks when Shadow and I touch…_

 _Get a grip, Amy! It doesn't mean anything. Now you have this fine looking man in front of you that's actually interested. Talk. To. Him._

 _Don't say anything weird though._

 _Please don't say anything weird._

"Amy Rose."

Joshua gave her a laugh. He let go of her hand and crossed his arms coolly. "I know that already."

"I mean," Amy closed her eyes in thought. She shook her head and looked at him. "I'm sorry. I'm not used to this."

"Used to what?"

 _Oh, shit. He's not flirting. He probably has a girlfriend or something and just wants an autograph. Think of something, you idiot!_

"Talking to fans. I mean, I lived alone for a long time. I got recognized, yes, but not like this. I mean, the people would wave or take a picture with me. I never actually had a conversation. Again, I lived alone so I don't exactly know where all of my communication skills have run off to—"

A finger pressed against her lips softly to shush her. Joshua smirked with humor. "Well, I'm honored."

The rose hedgehog took a step back and stared at her feet. The worker cleared his throat after another minute of silence. "So there wasn't anything you needed, Miss Rose?"

"Well…" Amy glanced around.

She was suddenly calm.

She wasn't lost in the animal drive thing—maybe because someone talked to her as if she wasn't an animal. And it felt nice. It relaxed her primal side. "I'm looking for someone."

"Oh?" Joshua shifted to rest on his other leg. His arms went back to fold across his chest again. He eyed her up and down, "Friend? Sibling?"

Her mouth opened to speak but nothing came out.

"She would be looking for me."

Amy felt the sparks around her wrist before she ever heard his voice.

Turning slightly, she noticed red eyes were observing Joshua.

Trying not to fall under buckled knees, Amy took a step back and leaned up against the almost filled cart Shadow had as company.

"Sh…Shadow the Hedgehog," Joshua said breathlessly and in surprise.

His green eyes were wide, and he became fidgety. His arms weren't crossed in a casual posture anymore—instead, one hand gripped the pot of the plant and the other hand hung nervously from the pocket of his work vest.

"Holy…"

Shadow stood taller than either of them. He didn't exactly see this worker as a threat. In fact, Amy seemed to calm down.

"Is there something you need?" Shadow posed the question carefully and with a hint that Joshua should do the same in his answer.

"Uh, no, sir. It's my job to help people in the store. She looked confused at the…the plant," Joshua pointed to the snake plant. "I should…I should get going."

Amy watched in slight disappointment as he hurried off. It would be the last she saw of him. And he was nice too. She sighed against the cart and hung her head as Shadow huffed in curiosity.

"I wonder why he left so abruptly," Shadow pondered. "A little rude, considering he never asked if _I_ was finding everything okay."

"Did you?"

Red eyes broke from the direction the worker had vanished to the cowering female below, "Most of it. After I noticed I was tricked."

"I'm sorry."

"It was a stupid decision, Amy," Shadow lectured and then paused. "Still, you acted pretty composed."

"He didn't treat me like an animal—no. He didn't treat me like an animal going through heat. It felt nice to be talked to like a normal person. It felt nice to be recognized as Amy Rose instead of 'that girl in the corner' for once."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "You didn't get attention in the city?"

"Not really. At least not the last three-ish years. But I guess people have to forget about the side heroes after some time."

Shadow was rather shocked with her words. "I didn't know you wanted to be seen as a hero."

"It would be nice once and awhile."

"Wouldn't being accepted as normal be just as good?"

She wasn't sure if she heard envy laced in his tone, but she wouldn't be surprised. Amy craned her neck up as her ears remained flattened against her head. "Are you angry with me?"

"Not anymore. The more I searched, the more annoyed I got. Then I finally decided to do what I came here for. It seems my decision wasn't an entirely bad one."

"What do you mean?"

Pools of vermillion continued to gaze at her with placidity. "You're not losing control anymore. I do believe the worst is behind us now."

"Let's hope."

Shadow waited for her to turn around. He pushed the cart, not giving her a chance to move out of the way. Instead, Amy was between the cart and Shadow. She flushed and gulped nervously as they walked.

The pink hedgehog ignored looks that any of the humans gave them. Some glanced at the two with questioning. One seemed to lightly smile at the oddly cute scene.

Amy disregarded them all.

Suddenly, Shadow stopped at an aisle and let her go. "I need a door knob."

"A door knob?"

"Yes. A door knob. Sonic's list is rather scattered and for the entire house. I have to note down the prices of lawnmowers. You go find a door knob."

"What does the house and door look like?"

"How should I know?"

Amy yearned exasperatedly. "I mean, what color?"

Shadow shrugged anyway. He was obviously going to be useless. Amy groaned, "Fine. I'll get whatever looks nice for anything and is mildly priced."

"Good enough."

He vanished, and Amy was left alone.

She bit her lip and tugged her stray quill before marching down the aisle. She went through an intersection and turned right, looking up at the banners overhead before finding 'Doors.'

Door knobs had to be there right?

Turning a hard left, Amy nearly squeaked at the sight before her.

She vanished into the next aisle after back tracking as quickly as possible. Pausing, Amy caught her breath as her heart rate increased upon seeing the particular figure.

 _Scourge._

Just how small was the world?!

 _I wonder what he's doing here…_

Biting her lip, Amy took a step to leave. But then curiosity had her wrapped around its finger. She turned and braced herself.

Amy crept down the aisle next to the one Scourge was in.

Oddly enough, bathtubs were lined up against the opposite wall of Scourge's aisle. She watched through a crack as she stood between two tubs.

Scourge was busy looking at a piece of wood. A worker spoke with him. There were no door knobs down that aisle.

Amy could just leave.

But she stayed.

"She wants something medium toned. Whatever the hell that means," Scourge muttered to the worker as they stared at samples of wood.

"Well, there's always this particular row." The worker motioned to something above that Amy couldn't see. She figured it was more examples.

A sudden phone rang.

Amy clutched her pocket in case it was hers, but thankfully it wasn't. Scourge reached for his jacket and grunted as he pulled his cell phone out. "Speak of the devil. Excuse me."

"I'll be over here," the worker stated as he ventured off to an old couple walking through. He followed them and started talking. They took a right and disappeared.

Amy nimbly stepped over the plank boards that the tubs were rested on as she followed Scourge down the aisle. He had no cart, just his phone in his hand as he answered it. "Hey. What's up?"

Even with good hearing, Amy couldn't hear a voice on the other line.

"I'm here as we speak." Scourge sighed in an annoyed tone. Then the voice said something, and he snapped to attention. " _Why the hell are you at the house?!"_ he hissed in a whisper.

Amy flinched. A plank creaked but Scourge didn't notice.

"Get the hell out of there." Another pause. "Because you know what Sam'll do. God damnit. Why do you have to be so stupid?"

A longer pause, and then Scourge seemed to interrupt whoever was on the other line. "Fine, fine," he snarled. "But I have a reason to worry. It won't be me that's sorry if Sam catches you there. It's gonna be you. He's got the place bugged, I'm sure."

Amy furrowed her eyebrows. She clutched onto the back of the metal shelf. She barely saw green fur here and there. The rest of the scene was listened to.

 _Who's he talking to? What are they talking about?_

 _Someone's obviously not where they should be. Scourge seems…worried? A bit more pissed off than concerned, but still. It's there in his tone._

 _Could…Could this be the leverage? Scourge is keeping someone a secret, and he doesn't want Samwell to know?_

"Of course you can't see the cameras. Why the hell would you be able to see them?" Scourge growled under his breath and gripped the same shelf Amy was. A shelf—a mere four feet—separated the two from seeing each other. Good thing the shelf was stocked full of useless junk. "I'm telling you, that Worthington guy is a piece of a work. He can hack into anything—machines are his forte."

This time, Amy felt something click in her brain. Not fully, but it made itself known.

 _Worthington…I've heard that name before, I swear. But where?_

She struggled to remember. When nothing came to mind, she put it on the back burner and listened to Scourge speak after another long gap of muteness.

"I don't even see why you're at the house. It's not _your_ house. It's not _our_ house. Go home, babe."

Amy widened her eyes.

 _She has to be the leverage! Whoever Scourge is hiding from Samwell has to be the leverage, I just know it…but something seems a bit fishy here. I still feel like I know someone named Worthington. It's not the first time the name's popped up—I've heard it before. Maybe they're not the same people though..._

 _But this girl…She's obviously Scourge's girlfriend—maybe even his wife. That doesn't explain what all is happening though…_

The news was beginning to jumble into a million different possibilities. It came down to the conclusion that it just wasn't Amy's business.

Still, she couldn't help but listen.

"I couldn't make everything today, babe, I'm sorry. She'll be fine. It's just school."

Amy bit her tongue. Her heart raced faster. Her fingers reached back and almost missed the tub, but then her hand clutched onto the rim.

 _Something tells me Scourge is hiding more than just one person._

She slunk down against the back of a tub. Looking at Scourge's legs, Amy gaped in shock. Her eyes were wide as she stared.

How had a visit to a hardware store lead to this?

The odds were slim, but Amy couldn't believe it had all happened. Perhaps she was dreaming. Maybe she fell asleep in one of the tubs. Yeah, that's it. Shadow was going to walk by and wake her up any time soon.

 _No. This is real. This is happening._

Green eyes stared at the metal shelf before focusing on Scourge's shoes again.

 _Scourge's side of the story is different than what Shadow, or maybe even Sonic, assumed. I have to ask Sonic why Scourge moved here in the first place. And how Scourge became affiliated with Samwell Turner to begin with._

 _Something doesn't make sense, though._

 _Why would Scourge be trying to tear Sonic and the others down when he has his own family?_

 _Unless…_

"I know it's not exactly the safest environment with Worthington there, but we've got to play this cool and not draw attention to ourselves. As long as Sam gets what he wants—No, I know he's a lunatic, but listen, as long as he gets what he wants, he won't harm you or our daughter."

Amy swallowed heavily.

The news pressed against her chest. Unwanted. She shouldn't be listening to this. It made her sick to her stomach. How cruel was Sam to use this type of leverage against Scourge?

 _Something tells me the rumors Shadow heard weren't half true. That the reality is far worse. Scourge doesn't want to make Sonic's life hell—Sam does._

"Listen, I've got to go. I'm busy trying to decide between mahogany and redwood. Apparently there's a difference." Another pause. "Then why don't you do this?" Scourge sighed in irritation. "You're the one so bent up on remodeling the house."

Amy waited as the person on the other line spoke.

Scourge gave a scoff. "Going out in public is safer than being at the house. Did you leave?"

…

"Good. Who knows what Sam'll say when I talk to him tonight."

…

"I'm sorry, babe. Kiss her goodnight for me, will ya?"

Amy continued to bite her tongue. She didn't want to say anything by accident. Although, she had so much to say—this was a different side to Scourge after all.

"Love ya, too. Bye."

Just like that, Scourge was gone to find another worker.

Amy was left to lean up against the tub still. She breathed heavily in and out.

Still processing the news, Amy unsteadily stood and got out of her hiding spot. She searched the aisle and saw no one.

 _Even Scourge has a normal life like the others._

 _Or had._

An image of Samwell shot through her head. She stumbled along the aisle, forgetting about her previous task and now looking for Shadow.

She wanted to leave, to go home. But if Sam's own second-in-command was being followed, there was no doubt someone was watching her right now. Amy looked around but saw no one.

 _Sam doesn't want Scourge to turn against him. So, we know Samwell needs Scourge for something. Maybe to know any weaknesses…But if Sam has spies out already, they'd know our weaknesses. And if he does have spies out, how long have they been in our lives? And who are they?_

The infiltrators could've been anyone. It made Amy shiver to the bone. Her entire life on Earth might've been watched, recorded, and memorized by someone else.

The power that Samwell held suddenly terrified her.

 _He's obviously not afraid. And he most definitely has some sort of plan, but who knows how long it's been cooked up in that brain of his?_

She hurried along the aisles, searching for Shadow. Where the hell were the lawnmowers? Amy followed the signs above her in haste while also looking for the familiar hedgehog.

 _But what sort of person would use that type of leverage? The innocent lives of others? A villain. That's who, Amy._

But still…she felt pity for Scourge. He had probably come to Earth and fell in love. He had probably turned over a new leaf, settled down, and had a family. Then someone came into his life and threatened to take it away from him.

The thought sickened her.

It'd been ten years though. Ten years since she had actually dealt with an enemy that meant business.

 _Some villains are worse than others, Amy._


	16. The Motive

**STH © SEGA/Archie**

 **Sarah, Sam, Sam's henchmen, and Jasper © Cozy Shadow**

 **Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _Wasn't sure if I should post this chapter up...I feel like I've read it fifty times and it still has mistakes - but oh well. *shrugs*_

 _I have all these excuses and reasons for going on a long hiatus, but we all know that would take me twenty pages to explain. But I don't know if there will be a schedule anymore. I know lots of readers liked the schedule, but shit's happening right now and I'm sick of changing the schedule when I can just get rid of it all together until things calm down in real life. So, I don't know when I'll be updating again. I just wanted to get this chapter up to finish the batch I originally started._

 _Thank you to those who reviewed and who have waited patiently!_

 _If you ask questions right now and it's something that'll be explained later in the story, I won't respond to your review. However, if it's something I didn't catch, I'll respond and whatnot so I can clarify to you and clarify it in the story. So, if I don't respond, don't worry about it. Have some patience—it's going to be further continued and explained later on._

 _e.x. What's with the part with Butch? He just disappears and shit. I won't respond because it's still continuing onto the next chapter._

 _FYI, this chapter is probably going to be a bit rough since I'm trying to get back into the groove of writing for this story._

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen:**

 **The Motive**

 _I should tell him…_

Amy didn't dare look at Shadow. He drove the truck silently back home, while the only thing on was the radio. She could see him out of her peripheral, and that was enough to intimidate her from speaking.

 _It's the least I could do after showing up in the lawnmower section empty handed and with a freaked out look on my face. I could tell he wanted to pry._

And yet, the female couldn't put any words together—much less any sounds.

What happened in the store was nothing but fate. She almost wished that she hadn't gone to find a stupid doorknob. Then she wouldn't feel so guilty about misjudging Scourge…and Samwell Turner. The call Scourge had received had spoken all the truth that Amy could possibly need to piece together that the black bat was in charge—and he wasn't sane. In fact, Sam would use the lives of innocent people to keep Scourge under his thumb.

 _It was obviously Scourge's girlfriend or wife. But I can't believe he has a daughter. I can't believe I overlooked any possibilities that said Scourge was a good guy and that Sam is the real villain._

 _Ten years can really change a person._

 _True, Scourge isn't the best person out there, but he's better than Sam._

 _Sam must have some crazy type of motive. If Scourge doesn't want to get rid of the Sonic Heroes and Sam does, the question is why? Scourge would simply want power—that and he naturally strives to make Sonic's life a living hell. But what's Sam's intention?_

The question gnawed at the back of Amy's head along with another one.

 _Who are the spies? He must have thought this plan out carefully and for a couple of years. He must have gained followers and they must have attached themselves to us one by one. But the question is who?_

 _Well, I know one for sure. Worthington._

Worthington. It was such a familiar name. Amy knew she had heard it somewhere before, but a part of her told her that it might've been a dream.

 _No, I've heard of the name before. I'm not crazy. I don't think I know a Worthington, but I've heard it being said before. But where?_

Looking out through the window, Amy watched the landscape go by. Shadow was silent as ever, but there was some sort of tension between the two. It was like they were on the verge of talking, and yet things remained quiet.

 _I should tell him…_

For the first time on the drive home, Amy looked over at Shadow. Red eyes almost immediately caught green.

"What?"

His voice made it seem like more than a, 'What are you staring at?' type of question. It was like he was bringing up what happened at the store. And knowing Shadow, he probably was. He was probably trying to get the information out of her as discreetly as possible. He wanted to know why she looked so scared at the store, and why she failed to bring back a doorknob. Sonic would surely be upset about not having one sooner than later. And all the while, Shadow would probably be thinking about _why_ Amy didn't grab a simple doorknob and leave the aisle.

She could have easily told him, but something stopped her from doing so. Instead of giving any excuse, or telling the truth, Amy turned back towards the window.

"Nothing."

* * *

At one point, the warehouse had been infested with rats. All the workers quit and the company was forced to shut down. The once rich bosses were either sued or lost their position—or both.

But that didn't matter.

The rats were no longer there. The warehouse was no longer running a company.

No, it was better than that. Different types of rats infested it now as it resided on the eastern side of the town, hidden well and surrounded by other factories.

"What's the call on St. Jude?" a thin cheetah sat at her computer, typing away key codes and looking through surveillance videos.

"Forget it." A bear shook his head behind her as he put other computers into boxes. Crates were filled to the brim and another worker filed in and out with the crates, loading them on a truck out back. "We don't have time. We have to ship everything out tomorrow—Turner's orders."

"I need those layout sheets before I can get into the bank's system," a marmoset raced between the bear and the cheetah's desk, squeezing through at the last minute while pushing up his glasses. "This one has a bigger shipment coming in. We can easily infiltrate it."

And then there were two.

"Can't you read? It obviously says, 'Do Not Microwave,' you moron," a maroon wolf slapped the badger upside the head.

"Hey!" the badger snarled as he set his cup of noodles down, "Doesn't make a damn difference, Lou."

The wolf huffed as she crossed her arms and leaned against the desk. She was muscular like the badger and intimidated most of the newbie workers. "Just remember, we don't have time for lollygagging. We've got to move before the police catch up with us. One of their agents already found this warehouse."

"Yeah, and we took care of him," the badger responded gruffly. "If you ask me, Turner should have planned better for that heist. Giving it away to Scourge, ha!"

The wolf agreed with a nod. "I don't even see why he's here in the first place."

"He knows the most about the Sonic heroes," the cheetah pitched in. She was careful of the two muscle heads though. "Samwell believed they could be beaten if he knew their weaknesses. So, he tracked down Scourge."

The warehouse door suddenly creaked open and shut roughly. It shook the rafters overhead of the cheap warehouse. The badger looked up as a real bat fluttered away, squeaking. He snorted as he glared at the hedgehog that had walked in. "Speak of the Devil…"

"Charles," Scourge stepped down the stairs and into the light, giving the badger a matching glower. He skipped over the wolf and turned to the cheetah. "Luna, where's Sam?"

"He's in his office. Where else do you think he'd be?" she shrugged and turned her chair away, speaking to the bear again. "St. Jude is a no go. I'll forward it to Jasper."

Charles grumbled at her, "That slithery bastard will only do it himself…"

"Turner wants everything out by tomorrow. We can't worry about St. Jude," the bear's voice trailed off as Scourge ignored the rest.

He stepped to the left and walked down a long aisle of empty desks that had once been piled with computers, surveillance photos, blueprints of banks and houses, and fast food.

He walked up three steps of cement and got to an old rusted out door.

Nothing in the warehouse was pretty to look at. It was dull on the inside and rotten on the outside. Scourge could understand why rats were no longer an issue. The warehouse matched the new occupants it housed.

He knocked on the door rather gently before hearing an, "Enter."

The room was dark as usual, but it wasn't entirely empty.

A familiar black bat rested up against his desk. The laptop glowed and emitted the only light in the room. The window blinds were partially open behind Sam's desk. A lamp's lightbulb was in need of replacement.

"Scourge."

The green hedgehog shut the door. It clicked softly as his ears twitched to a slight movement in the darker corner of the room. His eyes flicked over to the darkness and narrowed—as if trying to find someone hidden there.

Giving up on his search, Scourge cleared his throat and responded as he looked back at his superior.

"Sam."

The bat chuckled as he leaned against his creaking desk. He motioned to the chair in front of his desk after some short time. Scourge remained standing though.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Sam flicked little wood chips off his desk.

Scourge scoffed as he stayed firm by the door. He folded his arms across his chest. "Don't play dumb, Turner. You know exactly why I'm here."

Sam leaned back as he gave Scourge a smirk. A thoughtful gaze turned into a longer moment of silence between the two before Sam finally stood straight. "It surprises me that your mate so carelessly walks in places she shouldn't."

"Leave her out of this."

"You say that every time," Sam walked around his desk rather slowly, playing with a little bobble head figure. "You would think after so many encounters, she would learn to stay away."

Scourge remained silent as he watched Sam's every move.

"She's quite reckless," Sam set the bobble head down as he spoke. He stared out the window, looking through the blinds. "I'm guessing the little one started school, yes? She wasn't with her like usual."

A low growl emitted through the air. "You have nothing against them, Sam," Scourge could feel the lump in his throat try to choke him. "Leave them be."

"It must hurt…" The city lights flickered in the west as his eyes observed the dark scene. "Every time you know she walks in a place she shouldn't, you have to come to me and plead for their safety. Trust me, Scourge, if I wanted to hurt them, I would have done so already."

A pained memory flashed through Scourge's mind as his fists tightened. "We know who has the upper hand here…"

The bat softly chuckled. "Yes, we do."

Another long pause passed, and Sam twisted back around to face Scourge. He finished his circle around his desk and leaned back in the position he had been in when Scourge first arrived. "You used to be the hot shot back in Mobius. Then you decided to falter and settle down. And in some ways, I envy that."

Scourge narrowed his eyebrows, "Envy? You've threatened my family's life since day one of whatever you have up your sleeve."

The green hedgehog felt a little unnerved as Sam continued to stare at him. Scourge had never felt so exposed except when Samwell Turner caught his eye contact. It was like the bat was calculating Scourge's next move—while also making his.

Yes, the bat was truly in his own game of chess with the world. And he knew how to play the pieces just right.

"I envy that you can move on. Of all that Sonic and the rest of his posse have done to you, you have no quarrel with him."

"And you do?"

Scourge almost missed the light smile playing at the corners of Sam's lips. Almost.

"You could call it that."

Scourge scoffed in disbelief. "You're new to them—they don't know you. How in the world can you possibly have an issue with them if they've never met you before?"

The bat was always slow in responding, especially when it came to talking with Scourge. He turned and played with the lamp's switch. Nothing happened of course, as the light bulb was out.

"Sonic's their leader, yes?"

"They weren't all one group before—I told you this a long time ago. Shadow went off on his thing. Knuckles was always kind of out for his own hide. Sonic led Tails and a bunch of other fighters that were on his side. It was a mixed up world back in Mobius."

"It's a mixed up world now," Sam concluded. "Once, America had been the only "melting pot," and now…the world is a giant "melting pot," thanks to us Mobians." He paused before gazing at Scourge. "Miles does the mechanics, no?"

"He's the tech guy. Brilliant, supposedly. Tails is the brains of the group," Scourge sighed. "I've already told you this, what's the point? What's the point of keeping me here if you already know everything?"

He gritted his teeth. _What's the point of threatening to harm my family any longer?_

Sam smirked as he pulled at his necklace chain. He yanked it free from the collar of his shirt and revealed a white and blue jump drive. Letting it swirl around and tie the chain together, Sam watched as it undid itself. "It's you, Scourge, that doesn't know everything."

"Me?"

"You want to know my quarrel with them?" Sam eyed the flash drive. "Look to the fox."

Scourge narrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Tails? What about him?"

"He created the portal…" Again, the chain swirled. "It was a way for Mobians to escape—to be free—from our dying homeland. Dr. Eggman had no chance against Sonic and his group of heroes. But that doesn't mean there wasn't any pressure. Tell me, Scourge, do you think the heroes slipped up once or twice? That they ruined something and tried to cover it up?"

Scourge stared at the circling USB. It annoyed him. Something about it didn't settle easy within him. Scourge felt the urge to rip it from Sam's grasp and chuck it out the window. "I'm sure they made mistakes."

"One in particular," Sam glared at the little device. "Back on Mobius, our traveling group made it near the portal location…"

 _Flashback_

 _The smoke was beginning to die down by the sixth day the Mobians had arrived. A group of two hundred or so had passed through a week before. Their group was smaller—only about thirty._

" _The robots are getting closer," a gray bat whispered to a darker one. He was obviously older than the other bat. "We need to run a perimeter check before the night is through."_

" _Dean, I don't know about this—"_

" _Trust me," the gray bat said as he looked down at his little brother. "We're this close to the portal—this close to freedom from Eggman. We can't put our guard down now."_

 _Sam, younger and only seventeen, hesitated as he followed his brother into the heavy vegetation. It wasn't until nightfall that they made it back to the camp. A small fire was lit and about half of the travelers were asleep._

 _One was keeping a watchful eye out for her sons. Blue eyes, lighter and sparked with life, lit up as they met her sons. Frail as she was, the mother wasted no time in hugging both of them._

" _Ma, we were only gone for a little while," Sam shrugged her off in distaste as an embarrassed teenager would._

 _His mother softly smiled though and kissed him on the cheek before turning to Dean. "Is everything alright?"_

" _Everything's clear. Geoffrey sent another patrol, didn't he?"_

" _They left thirty minutes ago. They probably won't be back until a few hours," she said as she dusted his shoulders off. Dean smirked lightly down at her before embracing his mother and kissing her forehead._

" _Are you alright?" he took his turn in asking while Sam stood by his mother's side._

" _Oh, I'm fine. The doctor says my lungs have cleared up over these past few days. The smoke was only bad in that section of Mobius. We'll be fine as soon as we get to the portal."_

" _And then we'll get you some real help, Mom," Dean offered her another embrace. He glanced over at Sam and kept his soft grin._

 _Their mother let go of her eldest and turned to Sam. She linked arms with him and escorted them both back to camp, speaking away. "Oh, I can't wait until we get to the portal. Geoffrey spoke of so many things—so many good things about Earth. Of course, the people on it have their own trifles and affairs like us, but their planet isn't dying."_

" _I bet it's wonderful, Ma," Sam couldn't help but smile at his mother's optimism. "Do you think we'll be okay there though?"_

" _I'm sure of it. Sonic the Hedgehog is out there right now, fighting for us."_

 _Sam's grin widened as he looked up at his brother. "What do you think will happen when we get to Earth?"_

" _I don't know," Dean honestly replied. "I'll have to get a job. You'll have to go to school. Mom—"_

" _Oh, school!" His mother hugged Sam's arm tighter. "I bet the schooling there is wonderful! After all, the heroes have been there before—not to the schools particularly but Earth, yes."_

" _They have?" Sam asked in amazement as he gaped in awe._

" _Yes. They said it was an adventure. Everything was so different and yet some things were the same. It'll be a new experience for us, Samwell."_

 _Sam found himself nuzzling into his mother's fur. "We'll be okay then?"_

 _She stopped and touched his cheek, "Always such a worrier like your father. You take after him in many ways, Samwell. The heroes of Mobius will be there—protecting us. We'll be better than okay. We'll be free."_

 _Dean watched them hug lightly with a soft smile. After their village had been set aflame and their father had been killed, family memories were beginning to become more precious. The soft hearted bat walked them the rest of their way to the tent. "Come on, let's get inside. It might be a short trip tomorrow, but we'll still need our rest."_

 _Their mother kissed them both goodnight as she walked to her cot. Sam helped her in before getting into his own. Dean sighed blissfully as he found the sleeping bag good enough._

" _Hey, Ma?"_

" _Yes, Samwell?"_

" _Are the doctors on Earth better?" Sam turned to his side and stared in the direction of where his mother was. "Will they help you?"_

" _Sam," Dean's warning voice whispered through the silence_

 _Their mother exhaled heavily in response. "I believe so, Samwell. Now get some sleep. And stop worrying—everything's going to be fine."_

 _~.~_

 _An earthquake rumbled them awake._

 _Dean was shouting in his buzzing ears while their mother stood outside. "C'mon, Sam! GET UP!"_

 _The black bat hurried to his feet and ran outside, bumping into his mother. Dean rushed out behind him as they stared up at the sky. A blue light flashed through the night while booms of explosions sounded off in the distance._

" _Something's wrong…" Dean muttered as a figure raced up to them._

" _Turner, get moving!" A skunk hollered at them. "We've got a radio transmission that the portal is collapsing. We have to get everyone in quick!"_

" _But if the portal is malfunctioning, how do we know we'll land safely on the other side?!" Dean yelled back as the ground shook lightly under their feet and the explosions still rang through their ears. People screamed and shouted around the camp while Geoffrey tried to calm them._

" _The call Tails gave us said that the portal is still fine. He's trying to find the malfunction and fix it as we speak. For now, he wants groups moving double time! We've got to get our group moving_ _ **now**_ _!"_

 _Dean nodded and raced off with Geoffrey. Sam tried to follow but his mother gripped his arm. "No! Let your brother do his job. We have to keep moving!"_

 _Sam strained to register anything that happened next. Instead of running away from the booms like instinct told him to, he was racing towards it._

 _He helped his mother through the thickness of the forest and past fallen trees while the ground seemed to shatter beneath them. Mobians raced beside them a few feet away and scattered about. He was panting like crazy after several minutes of running. His mother flapped her long wings in an attempt to keep up._

" _C'mon!" Sam ran back to her as she faltered and rested against a leaning tree. She waved him off as she tried to catch her breath._

 _The tree's roots ripped up from the ground and the trunk croaked as it twisted._

 _Sam gasped as he saw it leaning towards them. He grabbed his mother's arm and yanked her onto his back, running out of the way. He got several feet away as the tree collided with the ground. Shrieks of Mobians were heard behind him, but he never looked back._

" _We can't give up now," he rasped as he almost stumbled to the ground._

 _And then he saw it._

 _The portal, in all her glory, stood before him on its shining metal beams. It was very large in height for the frames and diameter for the portal. Sam couldn't fathom how such a thing was built._

 _The blue light illuminated the small, crowded clearing. The frame of it was cracked as the sapphire light escaped up into the night sky. The groups of Mobians were clustered together, trying to escape into the safer world on the other side. A windy breeze caught through the forest as the portal swirled faster than before._

 _He set his mother down in exhaustion. "There it is…Mom…"_

 _Blue eyes were swelled with tears as her hair flailed around her face because of the wind. Sam held her close as the night became cold. "It's beautiful," she whispered. "Just beyond that is our future, Samwell."_

 _Sam was going to say he couldn't wait, but then a thought struck him. Where was Dean? Where was his brother? He stood up and let his mother go. She balanced on her own as he twisted around the area._

" _Dean? Dean!"_

" _He's with Geoffrey. They'll be the last ones, sweetheart," his mother calmed him. "They're making sure everyone gets here safely."_

 _The thought of the tree crashing down and the Mobians shrieking behind him made Sam think otherwise. Not everything was safe._

 _He turned to stare at the portal—this time with uncertainty._

 _The portal wasn't safe._

 _As if reading his mind, the metal frame of the portal cracked even more. The azure light escaped as one side of the beam fell completely off. The blue light vanished, the wind stopped completely, and everything was caught up in silence as the Mobians saw the portal disappear._

 _Sam narrowed his eyes as the giant frame leaned towards a part of the group. His eyes widened as he thought of the tree. "Move!" he hollered within the quiet._

 _It was too late._

 _The frame came crashing down and some Mobians got caught under it. Then the screaming began as sparks flew off the beam and caught the dry grass. Flames sprang to life and ate everything in their path._

 _And then the frame exploded._

 _Every mechanical wire within it was fried to the core as Sam shielded his mother. Closer Mobians had no chance as their skin was melted to the bone and their fur was singed._

 _Sam tried to block out the terrified screams and the painful shrieks of the lives behind him, but he couldn't. And then a hand was grabbing his shirt collar and yanking him up, "What happened?!" Dean yelled in his face._

" _I-It collapsed!" Sam realized he was on the verge of crying. His mother was curled up on the forest floor, next to another large tree._

" _C'mon!" Dean grabbed both of them and yanked them up. "There's a safe house for refugees on days the portal isn't on," he motioned not two hundred feet away to a brick building hidden in the shrubs while the fire went downwind of it. "We'll wait there!"_

 _Geoffrey was already hollering to Mobians that were running about crazily. He tried to bring order into the chaos, but he did not prevail. Dean raced past him with Sam and their mother. The skunk took a moment before yelling after Dean, "Get those two inside and then come back for the rest!"_

 _Dean nodded apparently as they continued to run. Eventually, they made it to the safe house. The older bat shoved his brother inside along with his mother. Sam grasped the door frame. "Let me help!"_

" _No, it's too dangerous."_

" _Please, Dean!" Sam pleaded. "You need all the help you can get!"_

" _Stay here, Sam. I'm not going to risk your life," Dean grabbed his shoulders and stared at him long enough to make sure his point was made. He wrapped his brother in an embrace and kissed the top of Sam's head._

" _Stay here and protect Mom," he whispered. Sam barely heard it as suddenly, his brother was running back into the chaos._

 _He paused against the door frame. Not many Mobians were running around any longer. Once the first frame struck, the other Mobians were either caught in the fire or already crushed._

 _A creaking sound caught Sam's attention._

 _He glanced up at the second frame. It creaked again and leaned a bit to the left._

" _Help!" a muffled voice sounded off in the distance, but Sam was too busy looking at the frame. "Somebody, please!"_

 _Sam snapped out of it as he looked to the left. Fire engulfed the forest and aimed towards a fallen tree. The bat figured the smaller tree had fallen recently because of the fact it trapped a being that was still alive._

 _It took no time for Sam to rush towards the life form._

 _He was bright orange, matching the environment at the moment. He coughed and looked up at Sam with reddish orange eyes full of hope and gratitude. "C'mon," Sam grunted as he tried to lift the tree trunk._

 _The hedgehog underneath the tree hissed in pain. Sam almost stopped._

" _Get me out of here, man!"_

 _They were about the same age, but both were filled with desperation as one tried vainly to lift a tree and the other clawed the ground hopelessly. It wasn't a thick tree. It was rather small, but even too heavy for Samwell._

 _He coughed as the smoke entered his lungs. The trapped hedgehog was no different._

" _What are you doing?!" someone yelled after several minutes of trying and failing. Sam turned to see Geoffrey._

" _You've got to help me!" Sam pleaded. He stared at Geoffrey and realized something. The skunk was about to leave both of them there. If Sam hadn't been there, Geoffrey would have left the poor hedgehog to die. The bat glared inwardly. Not on his watch. "Please!"_

" _Your brother is going to give you an earful! He's got some calmed down—he's in the safe house with them!" Geoffrey huffed as he grabbed the tree trunk and together, they got the trunk off the hedgehog long enough for him to escape. "Let's go—to the safe house!"_

 _Pausing, Samwell glanced around._

 _Everything happened in slow motion. There were still other Mobians—some were screaming still and past the point of calming down. Others were newer groups just arriving, taking in the scene for the first time._

" _We don't have enough room for everyone!" Sam realized._

" _Let's go!" the skunk repeated. Geoffrey raced towards the safe house without a second glance back._

 _Sam grunted as he helped the hedgehog up. "You know, you're probably lucky you weren't paralyzed."_

" _It barely caught me, but it was damn heavy."_

 _Sam found himself cracking a grin at the hedgehog's terrible timing for humor. "You're safe now."_

" _I owe you my life—"_

 _The creaking sound had never sounded so terrible. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Both boys cringed, but Sam gulped as he realized what was happening._

 _The second frame leaned as it suddenly started falling to its destination._

" _No…No, no, no!" Sam wailed as he saw it fall towards the safe house. He spotted Geoffrey, not too far off. "Geoffrey, NO!"_

 _His hedgehog companion widened his eyes. "Holy shi—"_

 _Sam could have sworn he saw his brother's face, or his mother's, or even Geoffrey as the skunk turned around and noticed his mistake. The frame crashed down and Sam saw nothing left of the safe house, the innocent lives, Geoffrey, or his family._

 _His world crashed the moment the frame met the ground, but reality hadn't sunken in until the frame was nothing but another explosion bursting in all directions._

 _End of Flashback_

"I died that day. All that I had left of my family was gone…"

Sam stared at the ground for most of the story. He glanced up to see Scourge's confused gaze.

"It was the collapse of the portal that ruined everything. But it wouldn't have happened if the damn fox boy had gotten his calculations right."

Everything from Mobius came zooming back to Scourge. The collapse of the portal had definitely been a high light of the time line, and not exactly a happy one. It had killed so many Mobians.

"All because Tails was off one, one hundredth of a degree…" Scourge found himself leaning up against the wall.

"Everyone spoke of the heroes like they were saints. They ruined my life—more specifically, _Miles Prower_ ruined my life. My future," Sam stood up with pain filled eyes. "You and I are both orphans. But have you ever had to dig your brother's grave? Have you had to sit there and mourn over their empty graves because you'll never get to see them again? They were taken from me, body and all."

"And I deeply apologize, Sam," Scourge found himself whispering his condolences. He shook his head slowly. "But there's nothing to bring them back. No amounts of revenge fulfilled will bring them back. No damage done to the heroes will make you an idol, trust me. That's the reason I moved on—they can't be beat."

Sam emotionlessly stared at Scourge. "I don't think you heard me. I died that day. I feel nothing towards anyone but hatred—especially to the group that call themselves _heroes_. They killed lives, and they decided to act like it was no big deal. No one took notice in the real situation of the portal collapsing because they were too busy celebrating the fact that they weren't the ones who died," he breathlessly hissed.

"Miles 'Tails' Prower was supposed to be a genius," Sam stood as his voice shook slightly with anger. He gripped the flash drive that was still in his grasp. "No one seemed to care when _his_ creation was the one that killed the most lives. Eggman's attack on the eastern side of Mobius killed over 500 Mobians. The portal was second running with 225 deaths. It seems like nothing compared to Eggman's attack, but it's the fact that it was Tails' invention that malfunctioned, because he didn't calculate a little degree right, that changes the game.

"No Mobians cared to look at this though. The group before us was a group full of nomads. Not one of them made it out. The assembly I was with—we were from a small village. We all knew each other. And they all died together."

Scourge could've sworn Sam blinked away a tear. The bat turned away though. "I don't need the world to back me up and say the heroes should be questioned for their heroism—for the lives they killed. I'll kill him…" he inhaled angrily, "I'll kill Miles if it's the last thing I do."

"If your anger is aimed at Tails, why did you drag the others into it?" Scourge shrugged. "Your revenge plot doesn't make sense. You've become a killer because you're trying to kill the one being that screwed up a little dimension? Yet you drag the other heroes in on it too?"

Sam smirked at Scourge's confusion. "You're so stupid, Hedgehog."

"What?" Scourge narrowed his eyebrows.

"The question is, 'Why didn't I bring the other heroes in on it too?' You see, I couldn't have fun with Miles. He knows his mistake—did you know he tried to kill himself?" Sam questioned as he walked around his desk. He smirked at Scourge's surprised look. "Yes, he was already mentally worn out because he knew about all those lives he had killed because of his mistake. So, I decided to look up on the rest of the saintly crew."

He gripped the flash drive with protectiveness. "And you won't believe what I found out about some of them. It would bring the world hating them all, one by one or all together."

"Blackmail? For what? What you want most in this world is dead."

"Exactly. Now that I'm practically dead yet still physically alive, I might as well have some fun with the ones who ruined my life. Or with the _one_ who ruined my life and the friends of that specific someone. After all, I have nothing to lose. Perhaps the new girl, but she'd only be for extra fun."

Scourge shivered in disgust. "Amy Rose?"

"She's quite lovely," Sam sat down at his desk. "I've found _a lot_ on her."

"So I've heard from Luna." Scourge paused as Sam raised an eyebrow. "I ran into Amy the other day."

The bat waved him off as if it were nothing of importance. "Sadly, I can't find a number of important things via the internet or spies, so I must ask you something."

"What?" Scourge impatiently waited. He was standing in an office with a nutcase. The last thing he wanted to do was sit around and begin to be all buddy, buddy with him.

"Were Shadow the Hedgehog and Amy Rose ever romantically involved?"

Scourge raised an eyebrow, "Shadow and—No. No way in hell or back. Shadow was distant on Mobius. From time to time, he was involved in questionable activities…"

"So I've found out."

"Nah, Amy had a thing for Sonic. But Sonic was never interested."

Sam waved Scourge off again—as he had found his piece of information. "She briefly dated the white hedgehog while they lived together in New York. Then they mutually split and he dated Blaze the Cat."

"Silver and Amy? I mean, Silver and Blaze, that makes sense, but Silver and Amy?" Scourge confusedly asked. "That's a little out there…"

"Well, so is Shadow and Amy. But it's most likely going to happen."

"How do you figure?"

"She's living with him. Sonic's getting married," Sam swirled the chain around some more as he yawned and stretched. "If Amy Rose stays any longer, it won't surprise me if they have some sort of… _thing._ Besides, Shadow did seem protective of his little guest."

"Yes…" Scourge thought back. "Yes, he did."

"I would tell you to make Shadow's life a living hell, but fortunately, every time he steps out into the public that's already being done. Even if it's not, he still mentally thinks someone's always laughing at him. He spent most of his time in Canada, frequently visiting a town to meet someone."

"Who?"

Sam shrugged, "A psychologist of unimportance. Shadow's lost all contact with them ever since their tragic snowboarding accident. It was truly a shame…I really thought they'd make it over that ledge."

Scourge gulped rather fearfully. He didn't quite care about the psychologist, but for his own safety and his family.

The old Scourge would've beaten the bat to a pulp, but Scourge was outnumbered in Sam's group. No one liked him. They all had the order to dispose of Scourge's family if Scourge were to do anything wrong. Scourge was all by his lonesome when it came to protecting his mate and child—he couldn't be in meetings with the lunatic, running missions for said lunatic, and defending his family at the same time. Sam had men everywhere. And he was waiting for Scourge to mess up—so he could watch in humor as Scourge witnessed the only things he loved being ripped away from him.

Yes, Scourge could see Sam's plan. Sam thirsted for blood the more he killed. He proved to be a mad man. When killing someone, Sam was past the point of no return. He found ways of entertaining himself while doing so most of the time, and Scourge didn't want to witness that happening to his family.

"Why do all of this, Sam?" Scourge muttered. "When it's all said and done, what'll be the point?"

Sam's ears twitched to the dark corner of the room. Scourge flashed a look over to the spot he had observed when he walked in.

Still, there was nothing.

"I'm going to watch them fall apart, Scourge. You see, I met some people who went through some similar things. One in particular has it out for Sonic. While I have it out for Tails, he's focused on bringing Sonic down. We all have our reasons, Scourge. The heroes aren't always so good."

"And the villains aren't always so sane. There's a fine line between genius and insane, Sam."

He was met with an undying smirk. "That line does not exist for me. This time, they'll lose, Scourge. You want to know why?" he leaned a bit forward as Scourge remained silent, "Because they've stopped being heroes. They've let their guard down—just like you did."

Scourge listened as his lip curled up in a snarl.

"Look at your little girl's face? Tell me," Sam whispered in a deadly tone this time while his eyes blankly stared at his ex-informant. "Is the scar still there?"

The silences between them had never been so full of tension.

Scourge wanted nothing better than to rip Sam's throat out. Sam wanted nothing better than to rile Scourge up. The green hedgehog, knowing this fact like most of Sam's moves, breathed in heavily.

"It'll never work. They'll fight against you, Sam."

"I'm going to make the world despise them," the bat responded.

"They'll have each other's backs," Scourge shook his head in contradiction. "You can't kill legends."

Again, Sam thumbed the flash drive. "When I'm through with them, they'll wish they never met one another. Every _legend_ has his or her darkest secrets. This is happening, Scourge. With or without you."

"Without," Scourge straightened his back and tried to give Sam a glare. But all he truly felt was pity for the bat and slight fear for the future.

He was rather surprised when Sam smirked at him.

"I've always admired your stupidity, Scourge. You always seem so independent and strong, but everyone has a breaking point." Sam let a crazy grin escape as his eyes glinted with madness. "And I know yours."

No hesitation was needed as Scourge stalked out of the room. He slammed the door shut and the window rattled as he left in a hurry. The green hedgehog escaped through the henchmen that had originally been there—they were still talking loud as ever.

His mind was mostly set on one thing:

Getting home.

~.~

Back in the office, however, the window still rattled before slowly dying down until it was quiet again.

Sam frowned a little as he set the flash drive on the desk.

He turned to the dark corner of the room, where his ears constantly twitched to and where Scourge's eyes occasionally glanced over to.

It was in that corner where another set of blue eyes made themselves known. A scaly tail wrapped around legs while a tongue slithered out of the figure's mouth. He hummed in thought as his eyes were narrowed in concentration.

Sam found himself smirking for what felt like the fiftieth time that night, "Looks like we're one man down, Jasper."

The snake leaned forward towards the light. His responding sneer was evident as fangs poked out from both sides. Blue eyes glinted with something akin to nothing but evil.

"We can't have that happening, can we?"

* * *

Morning came and went as well as the good television shows. Amy didn't know what to do that Friday morning. Shadow was out doing who knows what, Sonic and Sarah were at work, and Tails was busy at his workshop.

Thankfully, Rouge called.

" _I really think this biography is a good idea."_

Amy skipped through channels as she listened to the bat speak. "I don't know, Rouge. Documenting everything on our lives? A Biography of Heroes: The Other Side of the Portal. Doesn't it seem a bit boring to you?"

" _The title is still in the works, but my editor I hired thinks it's a great idea. They're human and they constantly say they want to learn more about Mobian history and the adventures the Sonic heroes went on. I definitely think a biography would help explain our lives. People are sort of interested in us still."_

"It seems a bit out of my comfort zone," Amy droned. She let go of the remote. "I like being recognized from time to time, but I also like my privacy."

" _Relax! I'm not telling them what color your underwear is."_

Amy flushed and groaned in frustration. "Rouge…"

" _C'mon! You sound like Shadow right now. Oh, by the way, we're still planning on coming up. Knuckles is currently packing, and I'm trying to make a work schedule with my boss. She thinks the biography would be a great idea as well. Unfortunately, we probably won't be there until sometime in early March."_

"That's okay," Amy sighed heavily. "Nothing's happening anyway."

" _Really?"_

She bit her lip.

That was a lie. But Amy had somewhat forgotten about Scourge and Sam for the morning. She tried multiple things to get her mind off of it, but nothing worked. Scourge's situation and Sam's irrationality always found a way to pop back up in her head.

 _Maybe I should bake…But my wrist…_

She glanced down at her wrist. She wore the bandage that day to keep it straight and rested as it had throbbed during the night. It didn't hurt as much and was almost completely healed. Still, she found herself wincing when she moved it too vigorously.

 _Well, Shadow could always help._

" _Amy, you there?"_

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry, Rouge. I was trying to think of things to do today. It's literally that boring."

Rouge lightly laughed on the other line, but it was obvious something was distracting her. Amy waited for a moment as Rouge's side went silent. Finally, the white bat came back, " _Sorry, Dex wanted some more pretzels. He's busy watching some space movie with Derrick."_

"It's okay. Give them my love. I better go."

" _It's so boring there; you don't even want to talk to me."_

"I didn't mean it like that—"

" _Say no more, Amy Rose. I shall give them your love, but you shall not receive mine,"_ Rouge joked. She hung up on Amy rather quickly, but for once, the rose hedgehog didn't care.

Instead, Amy flopped back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. The dog lied down on the floor and occasionally glanced up at her to see if she was going to possibly pat his head.

 _I wonder where Shadow is…I haven't seen him all morning._

With a new mission in mind, Amy rose from her spot and avoided the dog by stepping around him. She made her way to the front door and opened it. Butch raced out, thinking they were going for another walk.

Noticing that Shadow was nowhere in sight, Amy shut the door and left Butch outside.

 _Maybe the garage._

Amy hurried to the garage door, noticing that the clock on the wall said it was noon already. Shadow failed to walk through the door like usual for lunch, which caught Amy's curiosity. She opened the garage door and was rather surprised to see the garage open.

Shadow had the hood of his truck propped up and grease on his hands.

He was currently wiping his hands on a rag and walking around the truck when Amy stepped on the built wooden steps. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for you."

Butch came around the side and through the garage door, wagging his tail like usual. Shadow took a moment to look between the dog and then up at Amy. "Why?"

"I require your assistance," Amy sweetly said. She figured if she were nice, Shadow couldn't say no. "You look kind of bored, and so am I, so I figured we could bake."

Shadow raised an eyebrow as he set the rag on the workbench. "Bake? Can't you see that I'm busy?" He motioned to his truck.

"Yes, I see the hunk of junk, but you obviously don't see the apple pie envisioned in my head."

"While that sounds tempting," he sarcastically spoke, "I'll have to pass up on the offer to bake with you—although it was my life's goal."

"Someone's being sassy today," Amy shut the garage door as she spoke. It was obvious she wasn't going anywhere until she got what she wanted. "I might also need your help because of my wrist."

"Don't bake then."

"I can't. Unfortunately, it's another boring day in Hell, and I need something to do," Amy grinned just as mockingly as Shadow spoke. The two stubborn beings weren't on anyone's good side today. "So, you can either help, or you can have my wellbeing on your conscience."

"I'll take my chances." Shadow snorted as he shut the hood of the truck. He stopped and stared up at Amy.

The two got into a staring competition.

Butch watched both of them with curiosity.

To the dog, it was like when his other owner—the blue one—tried to win a calm dispute with his mate—the green one. While Butch didn't quite understand why the pink hedgehog slept on the couch if she argued with his Master like they were mates, the dog didn't mind following her around. She was nice, so he understood why his Master chose her—she would surely make a wonderful mother.

Butch wagged his tail at the thought of a permanent baby in the house—nothing like his own rowdy puppies in the basement. When the two toddlers that occasionally visited first came, they were so tiny. Now, one was big and loud, but Butch liked the smaller one. He was soft, smelled nice, and always dropped his food on the floor—the big one snuck pieces of larger food though. His tail continued to wag as he thought of all the food that would be dropped on the floor when his two-legged owners had smaller two-leggers.

But, something seemed off.

If they were mates, they would be sleeping in the same object two-leggers called a bed—like the blue hedgehog and the green hedgehog did. But his Master didn't sleep in the same bed as the pink one. That would need to be arranged if he wanted free food in the future.

Butch padded up the stairs and wagged his tail while looking up at Amy. He glanced over at Shadow, who glimpsed at him and blinked.

"Ha!" Amy grinned. "I win! You bake!"

"Ugh…" Shadow looked away before back at her, "Fine. As long as I get to eat this apple pie."

"Sure, sure," she laughed and opened the door. Butch walked through and vanished with a new goal set in his little doggy brain.

Amy waved Shadow in as she continued to chortle and ignore the dog, "If it's edible."

* * *

"Okay, two cups of flour, one teaspoon of salt—"

Shadow didn't know why he agreed to bake an apple pie with Amy Rose of all people—with anyone really. Sure, he might've lost the staring competition, but he still could have just walked away. Part of him said he should've.

The other part…well, it was still busy deciding.

Measuring cups and bowls were laid out in front of them. Everything looked chaotic. It was then that Shadow realized he had never baked a day in his life. Sure, he made breakfast and occasionally dinner, but he didn't _bake._ And especially not from scratch.

"Why salt?"

"For the pie crust."

"Seems a bit odd."

Amy sighed in exasperation. Maybe getting Shadow to help her was a bad idea. "Look, just…Just, here," she handed him a medium sized bowl and the flour and salt. "Mix this."

Shadow gave her a look but grabbed the wooden spoon she offered.

Hey, at least they were getting somewhere.

Amy watched his movement as he went to put the flour in. Shadow paused and glanced over at her, raising his eyebrow in questioning. "Is something wrong?"

"No."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. Just mix it."

His eyebrow remained raised and so did her tone of voice. "Really? You mean, you're not going to correct me if I pour it in wrong because God forbid there's a right way?"

"Just _mix it."_

Oh…

…

…He loved this.

Shadow smirked upon seeing Amy Rose angry. It was rather charming, but mostly amusing. If he had known the easiest way to get on her bad side was to simply hold a cup of flour over an empty bowl, he would have been baking years ago.

He tilted his head as his classic smirk remained wider than ever. "Are you sure?"

" _Just mix it!"_ Amy hissed. Her quills frazzled upwards comically as her eyes widened in impatience. Her hands and fingers twitched in annoyance as they reached for the cup.

"Hmm…I don't know," Shadow hummed in thought as he set the measuring cup down.

Amy watched with an inquiring gaze.

He fisted his hand together with some flour hidden inside, but Amy saw the whole thing. "Are you sure that it doesn't go something like this?"

Before she could question him, he put his fist to his mouth and blew so the flour escaped the looser side—which aimed directly towards the pink hedgehog. Her face was covered in flour as she shrieked momentarily. Blinking, Amy was mostly in shock rather than upset.

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Shadow smirked.

Oh, yes.

Baking was becoming a hobby for him—a way to anger one Amy Rose.

The pink hedgehog was still in shock. As Shadow chuckled to himself, Amy came out of her trance of absurdity and glared.

"Oh? I don't know…I think it goes something like this," she grabbed a fistful and wasted no time in throwing it.

In a puff of flour, Shadow was covered. His shirt even had some flour on it. His snickering stopped as he stared at her in an unamused way.

 _Oh? So, she thinks she can win._

"No, no, no, no," Shadow quickly said as he simply grabbed the measuring cup and dropped the rest of the contents on her head. He watched in satisfaction as she gaped up at him, a little sound coming out of her mouth. "I distinctly recall _that_ being the way."

"Yes, but there's normally a bowl involved…" Amy whispered rather playfully as she smirked.

Shadow saw the playful glint in her eye, and he was sure he had it too. He didn't care though. Friends could be playful without being flirty, couldn't they? And they certainly weren't flirting. No, they were throwing flour on each other. No way was that attractive.

Except Amy's genuine laughter was rather like a sweet melody to anyone's ears.

And then the egg smashed against his forehead.

 _Why that little—she caught me off guard!_

For an instant, Shadow was probably truly mad. But then he looked down at the culprit and his eyes softened just a tad at the scene.

Amy, covered in flour as she may be, still looked too innocent as she mischievously stared up at him while biting her bottom lip. Her ears perked towards him as she waited for his next move.

Instead of grabbing the pinch of salt or the other cup of flour, Shadow noticed a little flour collected on the edge of her nose. Without entirely thinking, his finger reached up and brushed it off rather slowly.

Amy watched, cross-eyed, as Shadow did so.

A blush crept up across her face and slightly showed through the thin layer of flour. Shadow felt the tingle when his finger tip brushed the top edge of her nose. He pulled away as something within him took the tingles and embraced the feeling of warmth.

Shadow himself ignored the feeling. He took a deep breath in and then out as they stood a foot apart and in silence.

"You win," he nearly whispered.

Amy's eyes widened a little as the blush remained. _Don't think like a girl…Don't think like a girl…_

Too late. Amy became lost in the vermillion eyes in front of her. She offered him a small smile that rested on the corners of her lips. _He…He's being nice. I shouldn't think too much of it._

Still. The pause between them had to mean something. The sparks whenever they touched had to mean something. The feeling of wholeness during moments like these _had_ to mean something.

Shadow couldn't quite grasp what one part of his brain was thinking. It enjoyed her company. It enjoyed the sensation when they touched. And the small emotion growing within his mind and heart was confusing as well. It pointed towards Amy obviously, but Shadow wasn't sure what it was.

But he knew one thing for sure. _We're just friends. When she finds a job and gets back on her own two feet, she'll leave. She'll be another person in my life that'll move on._

Amy cleared her throat and turned away, getting the flour out again as Shadow watched her.

 _I'm not falling for anyone—especially not her._

"Looks like we'll need some more," Amy sighed and gave him a grin. "Let's hope it actually gets in the bowl this time, hm?"

She saw the slight smirk he gave in response, but Shadow didn't seem to be fully there. Even Amy saw the slight hesitation he took in giving the smirk.

Something was on his mind.

 _There's too much to lose._

Amy bit her lip again as Shadow looked over at the empty bowl. The thought of how the warming scene vanished came to her mind—how precious those may be now—and then Scourge's phone call invaded her every thought.

She licked her lips as she stared back at Shadow.

"Shadow, I—"

The phone cut her off. It ringed sharply only once; and yet Amy faltered in her sentence and in her decision to tell Shadow about Scourge.

He didn't seem to care about her words as he quickly picked up the phone. "Hello?"

The soft expression on Shadow's face vanished as it became distant and emotionless. He twisted towards her as he said, "She's right here."

There was a slight hiss in his voice.

Amy stared at the phone he passed to her. Shadow, however, avoided her eye contact as he walked out of the room.

Putting the phone to her ear, Amy swallowed in apprehension. "Yes?"

" _Hey, Amy…It's Cream."_


	17. A Flash of Jealousy

**STH © SEGA/Archie**

 **Sarah and Sam © Cozy Shadow**

 **Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _This chapter is definitely going to be as choppy as sixteen because, again, I'm getting back into the groove of writing—especially with these characters. If Shadow seems a bit...out of character due to him feeling "unwelcome" in the world, it's going to be explained further in detail as we go along. So make note of that._

 _Check out my new poll! :D_

 _Also, check out my profile to see when some old stories will be_ **deleted** _and other info._

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen:**

 **A Flash of Jealousy**

The silence was thick and heavy throughout the room.

Amy felt a lump the size of a boulder form within her throat as she glanced towards the archway. Shadow had made his leave after he had handed her the phone. Amy knew why now.

" _Amy?"_

It was Cream.

Shadow didn't sound too thrilled to know who was on the other side. Amy caught this as she replayed the scene in her head. If Shadow sounded like he tasted a disgusting bug when he heard Cream's voice then that meant the Ultimate Life Form knew something—something he hadn't told Amy. Perhaps the ebony male lied to her. Whatever it was, Amy felt somewhat hurt.

She had asked what was wrong between Tails and Cream after sensing some sort of tension. Shadow had seemed to be truthful. And yet he lied. He wouldn't have gone with Sonic's opinion of Cream—he would have made his own.

Shadow had stated he had _forgotten_ to mention something when they first talked about the rabbit.

 _No._ Amy thought. _He was holding out. Just like he is now._

She stared at the archway with a deep intensity, hoping to get the truth out of someone. _Something_ happened between Tails and Cream, and someone wasn't being completely honest.

" _Amy?"_

She clutched the phone and offered a smile to her old friend, although Cream couldn't see it.

"Hey, Cream."

* * *

Butch sat on the couch, taking up Amy's pillow, as his Master sat beside him. While brown eyes continuously glanced at the hedgehog, there was no other movement within the room.

While the dog wondered when Shadow would turn on the television like usual, Shadow remained still as he stared at the black screen several feet in front of him.

" _Do Tails and Cream talk often?"_

" _They did a year or two ago. I failed to mention something last time though."_

" _What?"_

" _They had a falling out maybe a year ago. I don't know the details, but I do know that they were having a secret relationship."_

Shadow sighed quietly against the couch as his ears twitched towards the kitchen.

He hadn't meant to sound so snappy to Cream. He didn't like the rabbit for certain reasons—reasons that he hadn't exactly shared with Amy.

 _She asked about their relationship…That doesn't mean I have to blab everything, right?_

Shadow held his head up with the palm of his hand while his elbow rested on the arm of the couch.

 _Still…she's female. She'll be persistent for the last drop of information. If you don't give it to her…_

Shadow couldn't fathom what the little hedgehog would do. He figured she would snap like the hot head she was.

 _And I'm sure due to my response to Cream on the phone…Amy's figured out I haven't told her_ all _of the details. She's smart like that._

The memory replayed in his mind some more. Butch watched with a huff of anticipation—still waiting for his owner to press the remote and turn on the box with moving pictures.

" _Why on Earth would they do that?"_

" _They were both young. I'm not sure if her mother didn't approve or if she found someone else—people don't tell me things that match."_

Shadow narrowed his eyebrows as he grunted. _Lie._

" _Who told you what?"_

" _Tails said the latter. Sonic talked about her mother not approving. That was all he said. He seemed pretty upset with the situation. I'm sure he lectured Tails on it. The fox boy is fine though. I mean, he was living on his own by age fourteen."_

The ebony male didn't like hearing silence from the kitchen. He wasn't sure if Amy was whispering, or if she had turned to stone upon hearing the rabbit's voice.

The rabbit.

Cream.

She had seemed too innocent during the fight with Eggman and saving so many lives. Shadow was sure she would never leave Amy's side.

" _I don't think that's a good idea, Amy."_

" _What?"_

" _Conversing with the rabbit. Sonic doesn't like her."_

No one did. At least, that's what Shadow figured. Sarah was the only one that didn't really care about Tails' issues. But Sonic…of course the blue blur would step in and be a fatherly figure to Tails.

" _But why would Sonic despise Cream?"_

Yes. That was the question. Shadow understood all too well.

 _After all…_

He sat still, as usual, on the couch while Butch seemed to drift off to sleep. There was nothing coming from the kitchen, which Shadow was trying to decide if that was a bad or a good thing.

 _If anyone cheated on me, I would despise them. But Tails…He was too in love with her._

" _With the little information I have to go on, I assume she broke up with Tails."_

 _She kissed someone else actually._ He thought with sincerity, as if telling Amy the entire truth this time.

" _He did look heartbroken a winter ago."_

 _He didn't look heartbroken. He looked like someone stole his heart and hid it from him—leaving him to go on a journey to find it again._

" _But Cream was always so nice…That doesn't make sense."_

Shadow exhaled heavily as he slouched in his seat.

No. It didn't make sense.

How could someone so sweet like Cream become someone like… _that?_

He shivered in distaste. Shadow _had_ created his opinion on the rabbit. He didn't like her. But perhaps, he was being too judgmental.

A part of him said to listen to Cream's side of the story, but with Sonic standing in the way…there was practically no hope in finding out why she did what she did. Almost. There was almost no hope—at least for Tails. Shadow didn't quite care too much. But even he had to admit, he was somewhat interested in knowing _why_ someone would cheat—especially when Tails and Cream seemed to be so in love.

Perhaps their secret relationship hadn't been so secret after all. At least, not to a pair of ruby eyes.

But even if Tails had confessed to being in a relationship with the rabbit, Shadow hadn't been able to understand why exactly Cream kissed another. He hated the rabbit, but he believed her actions were for some rational reason.

After all, it wasn't like Cream. But people did change.

Shadow gave up on knowing because of Sonic's determination to keep the ex-couple separated for good.

He glanced over his shoulder subtly, looking at the archway of the kitchen door.

 _Still…if there's one person that can stand up to Sonic—or anyone for that matter—it's Amy._

* * *

" _I'm not the only one to regret some things that I've done, Amy, but that was—"_

"Save it."

" _Amy, please."_

The pink hedgehog leaned up against the dryer. She had escaped to the laundry room by the kitchen. She stared at the door that went out to the garage as it seemed to suffocate her in that tiny room. "I can't believe…" She found the lump trying to choke her further. "I can't believe you'd do that to him."

" _It was stupid. I mean, I was young—"_

"You still are," Amy found herself reprimanding the sixteen year old. "I…I never pegged you as the girl to kiss someone other than her boyfriend."

" _The long distance relationship was getting to me. I was stressed and went out to a party—"_

"Who parties at thirteen?"

" _I was fourteen and a half, Amy."_

Amy gritted her teeth. "Congratulations, Cream. You've won the I Suck at being a Girlfriend and I'm Not Even Sixteen Award."

Silence followed.

Amy groaned softly after some time of hesitation on both lines. "I'm sorry…But, Cream, that's so unlike you. I said goodbye to a sweet little girl," Amy ignored the emotional tears building up as her once best friend was hopefully still on the other line. "I never…"

" _You're right. I was young—I still am. I couldn't do a long distance secret relationship. It wasn't going to work. And a guy in my class was so sweet and...I regret it every day. I could only wish to go back in time and change things, Amy."_

Quiet and calm now, Amy took a moment to respond. She held her breath though as she thought through things. Cream had definitely changed. Shadow was just as much right as he was a liar.

Amy was going to get him back for that.

"So…You're only seven hours away?"

"… _And thirty-eight minutes."_

She swallowed her slight unwillingness as the words flew out of her mouth before she could possibly think them through, "I want to see you, Cream."

"…"

Amy closed her eyes. "Please. It's been ten years, Cream."

" _What good will it do? You'll leave again anyway."_

"Because you're my friend," Amy insisted quickly. "Please," she found herself whispering.

It took several seconds—longer than she wanted—but Amy eventually got the answer she was hoping to hear.

" _Okay."_

* * *

By the time Amy reappeared, Shadow was gone. Butch remained on the couch, however, as his plan came to his doggy mind upon seeing the pink hedgehog.

Still, as six o' clock rolled around and everyone arrived home and ate dinner, Butch remained on the couch.

And Amy ignored Shadow.

The dark male had never felt such a cold shoulder before. It was foreign to him—and he didn't like it.

He had offered her a plate for dinner, and she had grabbed her own rather rudely. He had given her extra tomato sauce and _two_ extra meatballs for her spaghetti. _Two extra meatballs._

Her response? It was either the tiny huff or the possible eye roll, but he wasn't sure.

Shadow sat at the head of the table as usual, with Sonic on his left and Amy on his right. Sarah took the other end of the table, remaining rather silent.

He glanced between both females and narrowed his eyes.

 _They're silently speaking to each other, I just know it. Sarah's probably getting Amy's entire story about how much she despises me now._

For some reason, this troubled the ebony alpha. He glanced down at his food when Sarah glared up at him. Pretending to eat his food, Shadow ignored the lime green hedgehog that was probably still glowering daggers at him.

 _God, I knew I felt someone watching me, but Shadow?_ Sarah thought. _Something's not right. Everyone's pretty silent. Even Sonic. And Amy._

She glanced over at the pink hedgehog discreetly. _Normally she's talking. If she's not talking then that means she's fuming about something or someone. And my bets are on the red-eyed freak that keeps staring at me._

Again, Sarah scowled up at Shadow as she caught him watching her quizzically, and rather accusingly for some reason.

Beside the annoyed female, Amy listened to the light scrape of her fork hitting the plate as she shoved the noodles out of the way. Part of her was rather fearful to see Cream for the first time in ten years—how was she supposed to get there?

 _Tails. I'll interrogate Tails. I'm taking his lying ass with me._

She furrowed her eyebrows. _He's not exactly the liar here though._ _I'm definitely not taking a certain liar with me though._

The image of Shadow popped up in her head. She glared at it rather than glared at the real Shadow—although he probably wouldn't have noticed because he and Sarah were having a staring match now.

 _Liar. Liar. LIAR. You hide the truth from me. Why doesn't everyone just come out with all their problems?_

This time, Amy did take a glimpse at Shadow.

 _Because who knows what other people want to hear._ She stuck her nose slightly up, but not enough to catch attention. _Doesn't matter if he's slightly attractive, he's still a damn deceiver. He hides things from me—he probably hides things from everyone._

Amy squinted at the curtains covering the window. A thoughtful look passed through her face.

 _I bet he's hiding all of his money in the basement…_

While she continued to get off track in her thoughts, Shadow and Sarah were still caught up in their staring competition.

That left Sonic.

The blue hedgehog hummed mentally to himself as he poked at his dinner.

 _I feel like I'm missing something. I didn't forget to shut off the back light in the workshop. I didn't forget to grab my water bottle. I didn't forget to kiss the future missus when I got home._

He happily looked over at Sarah. Catching her rather angered look, Sonic followed it to Shadow. The two continued to stare with such anger at one another and not blink.

He shrugged it off.

 _She has been acting a bit weird though. About a week, I would say._ Sonic thought about it a bit longer before shrugging that off too. _She'd tell me if anything were wrong. It's probably just really early wedding jitters, and she wants to work them out on her own._

Sonic left it at that—mostly because a new thought hit his head as he stared at his plate. He narrowed his eyes in concentration.

 _I wonder…_

The spaghetti was practically gone. But something still remained.

 _I bet I can fit all four of those meatballs in my mouth at once._

* * *

The hot water ran down her back, easing the tension in her shoulders.

Quills filled with shampoo and hands massaging her head, Amy hummed silently to herself while standing in the shower.

 _Shadow's_ shower.

How she got there? Simple.

To her, it was just bad timing. To everyone else, it was another one of Sonic's plans to get a certain hedgehog with another certain hedgehog.

 _Flashback_

 _Amy grabbed her pajamas and glanced over at Butch, who still sat on her "bed."_

" _I'm going to need that space soon, doggy."_

" _His name is Butch," Shadow mumbled as he walked by and disappeared into the hallway._

 _Amy rolled her eyes and followed him. "I could care less."_

 _Before either of them could take another step, a blue blur flashed across the hall and shut the bathroom door. Amy furrowed her eyebrows and knocked. "Sonic?"_

" _Busy!"_

" _I called dibs," Amy whined as her ears folded back._

 _Shadow had paused to watch the scene while Sarah opened her bedroom door all the way, raising an eyebrow at her fiancé even if he couldn't see it. Amy continued to pout. "How long are you going to be?"_

" _Just use Shadow's."_

 _Oh. That did it._

 _Shadow almost crushed the glass he was holding. Instead, a little droplet of water fell to the carpet as his hand seemed to twitch. His eyes were narrow while his mind was filled with ways to kill an azure hedgehog._

" _Or she could just wait for you," Shadow suggested with a hiss that even Sarah flinched._

 _Sonic didn't miss a beat. "I need to trim my quills! Sarah!"_

 _The lime green hedgehog hesitated. She didn't exactly want to get in the middle of this, but Sonic_ did _need a trim. His quills were getting long, and he had other littler quills to sort out. She took one step out of their bedroom and was met with the Ultimate Life Form._

" _No, you stay."_

" _Sarah!" Sonic called sweetly._

 _Shadow continued to glare at the female. "Stay."_

" _Sweetie! I need you! I'm gonna cut myself if I try to trim my quills all by myself!"_

 _The dark male raised a challenging eyebrow at Sarah. She simply blinked in response._

 _Amy rolled her eyes and pushed between the two, heading further down the hall with her pajamas cradled in her grasp. Shadow paused to look at her with a shocked look. This was a long enough pause for Sarah to make a daring dash into the bathroom._

" _Hey!" Shadow grasped the locked doorknob and growled. "Sonic…"_

 _The annoying pest's voice came quickly, "Busy!"_

 _With the bathroom door locked, Shadow's mind went to the next main issue: Amy. He twisted his head to look down the hallway and found no rose hedgehog._

 _This caught his attention._

" _She better not be…" He couldn't finish his sentence as he marched through his bedroom door and saw his bathroom door shut. He heard the water running and sighed in aggravation._

 _Knocking on the door rather gently, Shadow reminded himself that Amy was still ignoring him for holding out the truth about Tails and Cream._

" _Amy?"_

 _No response._

 _Either she was ignoring him, she slipped and cracked her head open, or she hadn't heard him._

 _Shadow went with the latter for his sake and set his glass of water down by his bed. Stretching, the male watched Butch walk in with a happy trot._

 _It wasn't like usual for the dog to walk like that. He seemed proud of himself as he climbed up on Shadow's bed without permission. But that wasn't what caught his Master's attention. Being Mobian, Shadow felt somewhat aware of Butch's emotions than regular humans would—as if he could read what his dog was thinking a little bit better than a human._

 _That or perhaps Shadow was simply normal._

" _What'd you do?" Shadow sparked a conversation with a dog nonetheless._

 _Butch panted in return, letting his tongue flop out as his tail thumped against the bed. Shadow raised an eyebrow. "You look happy with yourself."_

 _The dog's head swiveled to the side as he continued to stare up at the funny looking two-legger._

" _Like that time you got a stray pregnant and now she lives in the basement." Shadow hummed in thought as he squinted at Butch. "You couldn't have picked any other stray besides Shia? She's literally a bitch."_

 _Butch huffed as if in agreement. He set his head down while his tail continued to wag._

" _Still…something tells me I should be worried about whatever you did," Shadow spoke. "Not sure what though…"_

 _It was then that the dog's head twisted to the bathroom door, his ears perked. Shadow glanced at the door but heard nothing except the water running still. He huffed and climbed on the bed, grabbing a book._

 _Butch, however, continued to stare._

 _On the other side of the door, Amy listened to Shadow's conversation with Butch. She tried not to laugh the best she could as she pulled back the curtain and got in the shower._

 _Shadow proved to be different_ and _weird. That was for sure._

 _End of Flashback_

Amy smiled tenderly at the fresh memory. It had only been a couple seconds ago. Maybe a minute or two—she wasn't exactly counting.

 _Now it's just to yell at Shadow mentally and then interrogate Tails. But…To get to Tails._

Amy paused. To get to Tails she would need to talk to Shadow, but she couldn't talk to Shadow without probably yelling at him.

 _Well, there goes the mentally part._ She cursed quietly to herself as she dropped the loofa.

The door cracked opened.

She paused, halfway bent down, while her eyes widened. _Shit! I forgot to lock it!_

"There's a phone call for you."

Amy glared at the wall of the shower as she grabbed the loofa. Standing upright, she pulled the curtain to cover her body as she glowered at Shadow. The dark male was glancing at his nails, at the mirror, at the pajamas on the counter—basically anything _but_ the naked female in his shower.

"You couldn't tell them I'm a little busy?"

Shadow picked at the counter top as he stood only halfway in the bathroom. Butch peeked in through his Master's legs. The heat of the hot water had no doubt brought the dog. Or maybe it was to keep an eye on Shadow, or see what Amy was doing.

"I was hoping to speed up the process of you taking a shower in _my_ bathroom," Shadow admitted bluntly as he made eye contact with her.

"I've only been in here for a few minutes!" Amy almost squealed. She hugged the curtain tighter. "Why don't you make yourself useful and tell whoever is calling that I'm busy?!"

She wanted to tape her mouth shut after spewing the words out. Amy slunk down so the curtain hid her mouth and nose as well, as if that would cover up what she had just yelled at the man of the house. Shadow's quills bristled in annoyance at the demanding female. Butch made a grunting sound as he felt Shadow's anger.

"I'm sorry," Amy feebly whispered, but Shadow heard it.

The ebony male hissed—whether warning her or tired of her apologies—and took a step forward.

Butch wasn't about to let a growl escape his throat just yet, but something told him that his Master wasn't getting along with the pink hedgehog in the water tub. The dog was somewhat torn. Who was he supposed to protect if either attacked at each other? He definitely liked the pink hedgehog better than his Master—she let him sleep with her. His Master kicked him out of the bed.

But…His Master fed him.

"It's Silver," Shadow said after a moment of silence. He noticed the way she seemed to lighten up as her ears perked. A part of him didn't like it.

"And Blaze," he added in, although the white hedgehog had never said anything about the feline. It made a part of Shadow feel better when Amy was happy at not just hearing about a male she had dated but said male's present girlfriend as well.

Unbeknownst to him, the part that didn't like it was sparking a different type of flame. A flame that could get big and red—nasty with anger and envy.

He backed out of the bathroom, ignoring the little spark within him. "I'll tell him you're busy."

Amy's eyes widened as Shadow turned to leave. "Wait! No! I'm practically done anyway!" She hurried to scrub the rest of her body with the loofa and remaining body wash. Hastily, she stood under the water to get the wash off.

She shut the shower off and grabbed her towel from the toilet seat, wrapped it around herself, opened the curtain, and launched herself out of the tub. Shadow raised an eyebrow at her as the spark of a different feeling seemed to ignite again within him.

"It's just Silver."

"Just Silver?" Amy snorted in amusement as she tried to squeeze past Shadow with just a towel on. "He's my best friend, Shadow. I'm not giving up _any_ moment to talk with my best friend."

"You still need to get dressed," Shadow watched her with curiosity as he followed after her.

She ran out of the room and down the hallway, practically skidding past the first phone she saw. She picked it up and smiled a giddy smile. "SILVER!"

Shadow cringed as he leaned up against the wall.

He wasn't sure if he was cringing because of her high voice or because…of something else. The far-off emotion was intruding, and Shadow didn't like it. The ebony male tried to wipe it away, but listening to Amy's conversation only made the flame grow more.

"Oh, my gosh! I'm so glad you called!" Amy squealed. It was a happy squeal. A truly joyful sound.

Shadow watched in wonder at the female. She was so different now. It was almost like seeing the old Amy. Just the thought made him furrow his eyebrows in distaste as he backed away. Little did he know, Sonic was behind him.

Well, he did know. After he bumped into the cobalt male.

Sonic snorted as he watched Amy. "She's sure loud. It's just Silver."

"Right…" Shadow glanced from Sonic to Amy slowly. "…It's just Silver."

Sonic's ears twitched at the tone Shadow used. He smirked and nudged the dark hero. "You're jealous."

"What?"

It wasn't quite questioning what Sonic said. It was more like Shadow was questioning himself.

 _Is that what this feeling is? Jealousy? Towards what?_

"You don't like it that Amy's talking to Silver. You don't like how she's _so_ much happier talking with Silver than she is talking with you," Sonic teased, although he could see it clearly. Shadow was in a confused state, and he was going to make it all the more confusing.

Shadow tried to shake his head but it was only a slight movement. "No." He gritted his teeth while he listened to Amy chatter on and on with _Silver._ "There's nothing to be jealous about."

"You're right. Silver's dating Blaze. But…"

Shadow growled under his breath.

"They did date," Sonic finished and shrugged. "And they're still best friends. So...just imagine it."

"What?" he almost hissed.

Sonic smirked at the dark hedgehog.

Never had Sonic seen Shadow so vulnerable. It was positively fantastic, and he was going to take advantage of every second. After all, the more he got Shadow jealous of Silver, the more Shadow would admit to having some type of feeling towards Amy.

"Well, when they come to the wedding…"

Sonic tapped Shadow's shoulder as if he should have known the answer to it. Sonic turned to walk back into the bathroom—where Sarah was listening to every word with a knowing look.

"…It'll be like Amy wasn't even here. She'll want to spend all the time in the world with Silver."

"And Blaze."

Sonic smirked rather evilly.

Shadow wasn't looking though. He was busy staring at the blissful, pink female that was wandering towards the kitchen with every sentence that spewed out of her mouth as she was still dressed in nothing but a towel.

But the fastest thing alive (the blue one) was rather happy with himself.

He'd gotten Shadow to the point of including Blaze to make the situation look better—as if showing Sonic that it wasn't all about Silver. Sonic tilted his head as he watched Shadow with something akin to humor and brotherly adoration.

"I hear Amy and Silver did everything together. Blaze is simply a bystander and Silver's current girlfriend. But who knows? Anything could change, am I right?" Sonic winked to no one in particular as he walked back in the bathroom.

Sarah gave him a reprimanding look, but he caught off any following words with a kiss. Before she had time to resist, Sonic had the door shut. "You were finishing my trim, future missus?" he batted his eyes at her.

The lime green hedgehog snorted and rolled her eyes. "I can't wait until you get emotionally crushed to learn a thing or two."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sonic semi-glared at his fiancée.

Sarah shook her head, "Nothing. It's just, you can't control those two. If you do, both of them might end up hating you."

"I'll take my chances," Sonic shrugged with a chortle as he let Sarah finish up what she started on his quills.

~.~

Shadow had found himself in his room not long after Sonic vanished to the bathroom again.

He ambled around, brushed his teeth, got on the bed, and even let Butch sit with him as he read his book.

But it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Shadow was baffled.

The words on the page weren't making sense. What was once a mystery about a murderer was now a mystery on what the new feeling was that had embedded itself within Shadow.

He narrowed his eyes at the page he'd been stuck on for five minutes.

But he couldn't read it.

He was busy thinking about Amy and her conversation with Silver. But mostly Amy. She had certainly come out of nowhere—and it was clear she wasn't leaving any time soon.

Butch sensed Shadow's distress and confusion. He whined and touched his nose to Shadow's thigh. His Master only patted him on the head in a subconscious state.

 _I don't understand. I'm not jealous of anyone…So what was that feeling?_

Sonic's words replayed in his head. Shadow scowled inwardly at each syllable.

 _It's not jealousy._

 _Amy's only a friend. A rather bothersome friend._

It didn't help the ebony hedgehog when said friend walked back into his room.

At first, Shadow was rather surprised, but then he remembered that her clothes were still in his bathroom. He had just shoved them aside when he had brushed his teeth. There was nothing left to do but forget about their existence.

Because that's what Amy was doing—forgetting Shadow's existence.

He narrowed his eyebrows at himself. _Why should that matter? She can forget me any day of the week and I wouldn't care._

A part of him started to sing something about denial, and the other part of him simply scoffed. This was coming from the man who had just called her his bothersome _friend._

"Hold on, I'm gonna put you on speaker."

Her voice brought him back to reality.

Shadow raised his eyebrows slightly as she shut the bathroom door. The phone made a sound after she had, he presumed, clicked a button. More specifically, clicked 'Speaker.'

" _So, Italy isn't all it's hyped up to be—neither was Spain."_

The voice had never sounded so…irritating.

Shadow gritted his teeth as Butch made some odd gurgle of a sound. The dog wasn't sure why his Master was kind of tense, but he bet it was because the lovely female was in the bathroom with what sounded like another male. Only…Butch didn't remember anyone else walking in there.

"Maybe you shouldn't be so clumsy," Amy teased from behind the door, but her voice remained loud and clear for all to hear—at least for Shadow and the dog.

" _Those kids pushed me into the fountain in Portugal, I swear it! That or Blaze did."_

"My money's on Blaze."

There was a scoff over the phone as Amy opened the door, dressed in her pajamas rather quickly. She held the phone in one hand while grabbing her clothes from off the floor with her other hand.

" _Blaze would never…"_ he seemed to be thinking about it.

Amy made out a laugh of sorts as she shut the light off. "I paid her to do it."

Red eyes watched as the rose flower walked out of the room.

There were several different emotions running through him, but he mostly thought of how odd Amy Rose proved to be. Shadow snorted in dislike as he looked back at his book, staring at the beginning word of the page he'd been stuck on.

Butch made a little grunting sound as he looked up at his Master, as if wondering if the male was going to give up so easily. Shadow swatted the dog lightly away. "Get down."

The dog took that tone as his time to leave the bedroom. He hopped off the bed as Shadow continued to read his book. Walking down the hallway, Butch slipped past Sarah and Sonic playfully arguing about his quills in the bathroom.

Amy had stopped by the hamper at the bathroom as she talked to Silver. Butch ignored the shouts of greetings the obnoxious two-leggers gave as Sarah and Sonic became involved with Amy's conversation.

Nope. The dog didn't have time to stop, stare, and hope someone would give him a treat or a pat on the head.

He had a mission to help his Master.

Plopping down on Amy's makeshift bed, Butch got comfortable as his tongue hung out. Now, it was to play the waiting game, the dog decided. He didn't mind.

It gave him all the more time to actually fall asleep and look too cute to move.

* * *

The late night snack was fine by Amy.

She gulped down the milk as she listened to Silver. It'd been awhile since he had called. They seemed to go on forever with stories. The particular one they were talking about now happened recently. And pertained to a certain rabbit.

" _Wow…Cream's changed,"_ Silver noted in a dry, unimpressed tone. " _I can't believe she would do that."_

"Me either," Amy agreed. "It was weird too. She called me, and that was the first thing she said."

" _Really?"_

"Yep."

" _No, 'Hey, it's been a long time! How you doing?' at all?"_

"None whatsoever," Amy gritted her teeth in annoyance. She couldn't believe the rabbit. "But look, I'm not sure how much longer we can talk about this…I mean, Sonic doesn't like her—I don't need him to blow up if he knows _I'm_ talking to her now."

" _So? As far as I'm concerned, you're a grown woman."_

Amy seemed to roll her eyes at herself mostly. "Yeah, and look how far I've come."

" _Hey, it's not your fault people are douches. That guy never had the right to fire you in the first place. Can't you still get your job back?"_

"Sure," Amy sarcastically whispered, making sure no one walked in on her conversation, "If anyone calls me. It's been over a month since I lost it anyway, Silver. They're not gonna call me back now."

" _You're probably right. So, what are you going to do about Cream?"_

Amy paced as she chewed her lip. Worry set in as she thought about her decision. "I don't know. I need to visit Tails but to get to Tails…I need to talk to the one and only—"

" _Shadow the Hedgehog,"_ Silver beat her to it with a voice like he had just seen a fly in his soup. _"And since you're 89% positive that he's lied to you about Tails and Cream's relationship…Well, keep the confrontation as calm as possible."_

"I'm 90% positive. Don't think little of me."

" _Why not? You were thinking little of yourself just a moment ago,"_ he teased in response.

Although it was for a good jest, Amy couldn't help but feel it was true. She was so dependent on her friends now. It made her cringe. She couldn't be an adult like the others.

"I don't know what I'm doing…"

She didn't mean for the words to come out. They were supposed to be mental thoughts. Instead, they slipped through her and hit Silver. Not that her best friend panicked or anything. He was there on the other side of the phone with a calm, welcoming expression.

" _You'll figure it out soon enough. I have faith in you."_

"What if I don't?" Amy fearfully whispered. She clutched onto her arm that held the phone. She stared out the window, into the night, with a frightful expression—as if a haunting image would be peering back at her. "What if I fail again? What if…What if it never gets better?"

So many pauses in one day—she didn't think she could handle it. She almost wanted to scream at the person to say something and say it quickly.

But she didn't. Amy kept poised although she was afraid for the future.

" _So many people are going through the same thing right now, Amy…and so many are going through worse. You have friends who will be there every step of the way to help guide you. Even more now that you did the most courageous thing I would never do."_

"I had to see them again, Silver."

" _I know you did. Blaze didn't understand that. She and I have each other. Rouge and Knuckles have the twins. You were the odd man out. That's why I wasn't particularly interested in making you come along with us to Europe. I know you—you would've felt unwanted."_

Amy remained silent as she greedily took in the words she wanted to hear. The words Silver spoke always seemed to make things better.

She guessed that was what best friends were for. They knew what the other wanted to hear when things were rough.

" _But these last few days…You seem different. A good different at times. Other times, it's like you want to rip Shadow's head off."_

She caught herself smiling while listening to his light laughter. "I guess so. It's difficult being away from the city. At least, I thought it was. I hated the silence in the night—I was waiting for a car to drive by but nothing ever happened. The clock was the most annoying thing ever, but now it doesn't bother me. I get awoken by a dog at two in the morning and I used to get irritated, but that dog is the sweetest thing in the world. The air is so fresh and the sky is so blue, it's crazy. Hardly any humidity compared to New York, but the view here…the view is to die for—"

" _Listen to you."_ His voice was soft and full of wonder.

Amy bit her lip to contain a knowing grin. "What do you mean?"

" _You like it there."_

She twirled her smallest quill around her finger as she grasped the phone. "I guess I do. But I still feel lonely at times. Sonic and Sarah are always at work if not planning for the wedding. And Shadow acts like he needs to be out of the house every time I walk in."

" _Well, you're not going to be alone anymore."_

"I've heard that one before," Amy snorted to herself. "And if I don't convince Tails to take me to Cream, I'm alone as I'll ever be. No way will Shadow go—he didn't sound like he would particularly enjoy her company."

" _I'll go with you."_

Amy's smile dwindled down as a serious expression took over her face. "Wait…What?"

" _Blaze is asleep, and I promised we would tell you together. That and I kind of want Sonic, Sarah, and Shadow to hear too. Plus, we can really talk. Sort of."_

"You mean _Skype_?"

" _Tomorrow morning. Call me."_

"Wait, Silver!" Amy hissed but the other line hung up. She glared at the phone and cursed her best friend for holding out on her. But then she thought about the news.

 _Oh, I can't wait! They must be coming soon—like in a week or two!_

Amy happily walked out of the kitchen after putting her empty glass in the sink. She put the phone back in its holder as she got ready for bed. Turning to the couch, she found a slight obstacle in her way.

Butch.

The dog snorted in his sleep as he lied on his back with his front legs in the air and bent. His head rested on Amy's pillow, and his back legs balanced him. The only thing that would make him cuter was if his tongue was hanging out.

Amy frowned however.

 _Well…He looks so peaceful and nondestructive right now. I can't possibly wake him up._

The rose hedgehog was frozen in her spot.

 _I wonder what Shadow's doing…_

The thought of a comfy bed to sleep in again found its way to her brain. She couldn't help but mull the probability over. It wouldn't be awkward, right? They slept next to each other before. It was no big deal—Shadow made a tendency to forget like anything happened anyway.

All she had to do was find the courage.

Turning her head, Amy glanced down the hallway before taking a brave step towards his bedroom door. Sneaking past Sarah and Sonic's closed door, Amy made it to Shadow's bedroom. The door was shut—as always—and creaked when she opened it slightly. Looking back at Sonic's door, she bit her bottom lip. Her ears picked a slight movement in Sonic's bed, but overall, it was nothing.

"Yes?"

It was a classic grumble from Shadow. But it wasn't unwelcoming.

She poked her head in.

He was sitting on the bed, reading the same book he had been previously. The title caught her attention as she walked in and shut the door behind her. Reminding herself of the goal, Amy was bombarded with thoughts of the dishonesty floating between them.

She felt Shadow tense a little, but he didn't show it in his expression.

"I thought you didn't like mystery books. You could easily predict who the culprit was."

He watched as she cautiously meandered to his bed. His quills quivered in either warning or anxiousness. Shadow wasn't sure. But as she made room for her, he came to the conclusion that he shouldn't allow it as a bubbly feeling set in.

The emerald eyes that had a glint of knowing and anger seemed to not only make him fear of the upcoming argument, but also excite him for a challenge. He bent one leg as he leaned forward, propping his elbow on his knee.

Humming in hesitation, Shadow let her sit down next to him.

Amy's movements were slower than a sloth, but she had her reasons.

She caught the miniscule amount of fear in his eyes. It was the most he'd probably ever show, and it wasn't even the size of a poppy seed—so she'd take it. Words were jumbling in her brain as she thought of what to say without bursting into a chaotic, raging monster or a blubbering idiot.

"Was it the butler?" she whispered with hardly any emotion in her tone. Everything remained in the eyes.

"Something tells me that you're not here to chat about my book," Waving off any of her remarks, Shadow finally spoke as a serious expression came over his face. He leaned slightly forward as he towered over her.

Amy didn't like the fact that Shadow could so easily change the tides between them.

The female cowered a little as she gritted her teeth. The animal in her said to submit to such an alpha male. But the humanistic side of her said that she too was capable of being in charge. The man of the house didn't change a thing. But it did—and they both knew it. He was Shadow the Hedgehog anyway.

So instead of yelling at him, Amy sighed and turned away. "Why did you lie?"

The words barely made it out of her mouth. Shadow, sitting next to her, could barely hear them. "I was withholding the truth."

"Tails and Cream are my friends. You can't just keep something like that from me—"

"Yes, I can."

"Why?" Amy glared. It was those emerald eyes where the anger sparked and caused great amusement for the male. She would never understand some things. "You held onto the truth and gave me little bits of the story. Why not just tell me the whole thing? And you _did_ lie. You said you didn't know the whole of it—but you do, don't you?"

He smirked, staring at her with calm red eyes. "Nothing gets past you, does it?"

"Don't try and change the subject." Amy leaned in further as her teeth clenched together so much that it began to hurt her jaw. She was determined though.

Shadow let a low growl escape from him. He met her halfway as she flinched and slunk away from him.

"Don't try and meddle with someone else's life. I didn't ask to be a part of it. Tails told me because he knew Sonic would act like his father. At that time, Sonic would've told Tails to call it off because of their young age. So the boy told me instead."

"Why?"

"Because he figured that I wouldn't care. He couldn't keep the secret in any longer, but he couldn't let it be exposed to the wrong person."

Amy exhaled heavily and flopped back, sinking into the pillow. The only light on in the room was his lamp. Other than that, she barely registered that it was dark in the room. Observing the ceiling, the pink flower couldn't meet his gaze. She couldn't get caught up in the enchanting vermillion gaze again.

"And you wouldn't care…" she whispered at nothing in particular—merely talking to herself. "It had nothing to do with you. So you let him get it off his chest. And yet…you probably did care."

His ears swiveled back to listen to her, but his eyes were looking over the book cover.

"Because you were the one to tell Sonic, weren't you?"

"It was an accident," Shadow mumbled back. "It was a month later. I thought he knew. Sonic was acting angrier than usual, but I couldn't figure out why. I reckoned it was because of Tails and Cream. But I only added more fuel to the fire."

Amy propped herself up on her elbows as she stared quizzically at the ebony hedgehog. "What _was_ he mad at then?"

"Work. Employees." Shadow shook his head as he tossed the book lightly to his side. "A part of me regrets it. I blame myself for what happened."

"Not all of us are perfect, I guess."

"You think I don't know that?" Shadow hissed at her. Amy flinched again. "I wasted my time in places that reminded me of my flaws every day. People staring at you, mocking you and hating you—you don't know what that feels like, Amy."

"It must hurt," she tried to respond. She figured he was trying to change the subject. But she also saw pain flash through his eyes—those eyes that held the key to his emotions.

"People assume things. That if I don't cry, I never get hurt. That if I don't say anything, I apparently don't feel. That if I don't show it, I don't care about it. But they're wrong," he rasped. She watched as he clutched the sheets. "Tails has been nothing but kind to me, and I betrayed him."

"He must know it was an accident, though."

"I managed to clear things up. I started whatever argument ensued between them, and so I felt obligated to finish it. And I did. But I felt like even Tails was wary of my company from then on. As if I would suddenly snap and turn on everyone that stopped to care for my wellbeing. It had always been annoying, but then it was gone. And I missed it. This valley—these people. They help."

Amy touched his arm gently. He didn't pull away. "Shadow, you don't need to be like this anymore. You've been living practically unharmed for four years, but you still talk about the past as if it were the present. Don't you think it's time to let it go and move on? You're beginning to sound like a broken record."

Shadow huffed and pulled away from her touch, the tingles gone as usual. "If it was Tails or Sonic saying this would you tell them that or try to comfort them?"

She glanced away as he met eye contact with her. After a moment of hesitation, Amy looked up and whispered, "I don't know how to comfort you."

"You can't."

She slowly sat up. Their shoulders touched faintly.

Amy wasn't sure what happened next. She saw her host as something else in that moment. He wasn't simply just a hero. He wasn't just Shadow the Hedgehog.

"I was once invisible. The portal took things away from me," Shadow whispered as he felt the pressure on his shoulder. "And then wherever I walked, I actually… _feared._ I had never felt so vulnerable before. So normal. People like Sonic and Tails are the only ones I trust and the fact that I've betrayed them…"

She was completely leaning against him by now. But not like either of them cared. Slim fingers picked up the book. "Tails was probably too young anyway. Live and learn."

Curiosity pecked away at her as she caught some of his words. "How did you betray Sonic?"

"I…might have done something."

Amy glanced at him in concern, "Shadow?"

Thoughts sprang to her mind. She couldn't quite place what would make Sonic truly angry or upset with Shadow. Except one thing.

"Shadow, please don't tell me you kissed Sarah."

A sort of laugh and cough came from the Ultimate Life Form. "No. Nothing like that."

Relief swept over the rose hedgehog. She was mostly thinking about Sonic's relationship. Amy didn't want anything to ruin whatever the blue blur had. But a tiny part of her was slightly relieved for her own reasons.

She just wasn't sure why.

"I may or may not have accidentally touched her breast."

Okay. That wasn't any better. Amy tried not to laugh, and she also tried not to scowl. "Um…May I ask how this happened?"

Shadow seemed to chuckle for her as he leaned back on his bed. His head hit the soft pillow while Amy glanced back at him, still holding onto the mystery book.

"Sonic and I came in from the garage door. Sarah was listening to music while making dinner and had her earbuds in. She didn't hear us, so Sonic decided to scare her. The earbuds slipped out, fell to the floor, and she stepped on them. She freaked out—because she does that upon "hurting" any inanimate objects—and she leaped again, caught the edge of the chair, and landed in my arms."

Amy laughed as quietly as she could, keeping in mind that a certain couple was just across the hall. She joined Shadow, lying down on the bed with a grin plastered on her face.

"And my hand might have rested in an inappropriate place."

The giggles coming from her caused a smirk from him, and he didn't know why. He found the humorous moment between them rather relaxing.

All the tension seemed to have vanished.

"Wait," Amy sat up a little and inquisitively raised an eyebrow. "What happened after that?"

"Well, she stood straight and Sonic was merely laughing at the fact that she had fallen—on me, no less. He didn't know about anything else until Sarah, blushing rather profusely might I add, asked if I enjoyed the free groping session."

Again, Amy was caught in a fit of chortles. She buried her face into the pillow. "I can't believe _you_ actually did that."

"Sonic didn't quite get it at first but then he was silent for five minutes before turning to Sarah and asking if it truly happened. Needless to say, it was the best five minutes of my life. So peaceful. If only I could figure out a way to make it happen more often—without going over boundaries, of course."

Shadow listened as Amy's laughter died down. Her face was still stuffed in the pillow. She turned slightly and hummed in amusement before he felt slight movement. Glancing over, Shadow furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at the young adult.

Amy was curled up, still slightly snorting to herself, and had her eyes closed.

 _Oh, no. She's not thinking about sleeping in here, is she?_

"Rose?"

"Hm?"

"What are you doing?"

"Sleeping. The bed's comfy. And the dog stole the couch."

"There's another couch. There's three to be exact," Shadow sat upright as he stared down at her.

Amy whined slightly. "C'mon, Shadow. I just want a nice bed to sleep in—not that old couch."

"The other two are comfier than this bed."

"Then you go and sleep on them."

Shadow glared at the woman. She proved to be stubborn and annoying.

Always.

He huffed and turned away from her, shutting off his lamp light and getting comfortable. He pulled the blanket over his shoulder and exhaled heavily into the sheets.

"If you so much as nudge me in your sleep—"

"Goodnight, Shadow."

"…Goodnight, Amy."


	18. Broken Records

**STH © SEGA/Archie**

 **Sarah and Sam © Cozy Shadow**

 **Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _Check out my new poll! :D PLEASE VOTE!_

 _Last reminder, before the following stories are deleted: Just An Alliance, We Got Each Other, The Road Trip, and The Hunt. These stories will be deleted March 21, 2016._ _ **TOMORROW.**_ _Keep in mind, they will get redos. You can check my profile for more info._

* * *

 **Chapter Eighteen:**

 **Broken Records**

Sarah awoke to an arm tightly wrapped around her.

Brown eyes blankly watched the wall remain motionless. Sighing heavily, Sarah leaned back a bit to glance at her future husband. He moved closer, indicating he was probably more awake than he looked.

"Sonic?" she whispered.

He only hummed in response, clearly showing he wanted to sleep in. What was wrong with this female? Sleeping in on Saturdays was a thing. Why was she trying to make it not a thing?

"Sonic."

"What?" He slurred awake as he rubbed his eyes. The blue blur glared softly down at her. "You normally sleep in. Something wrong?"

"Feeling a little sick." Sarah didn't try to make it a conversation for long. She moved her legs about until they were free from the mess of blankets she had been in. Getting out of bed, Sarah ignored Sonic's concerned look and headed to the door.

"You must be getting the flu. Or something Shadow tried to cook," the azure hero scoffed.

Sarah gave him a small smile that only lasted a minute. She opened the bedroom door. "There is a type of bug going through the school. I might have caught it."

She glanced back as Sonic fell back into the pillow and rolled over. Softly grinning again, Sarah made her way across the hallway and to the bathroom—which wasn't a long journey—but she stopped short as something odd caught her eye.

An empty couch.

Backtracking, the lime green female raised an eyebrow towards the living room.

Well. It was almost an empty couch. The dog was still asleep, dreaming happily while occasionally kicking his legs. Sarah would have snorted in laughter, but it was either the nauseous feeling coming back or the fact that Amy wasn't sleeping in either that made her stop short.

"Sonic?" Sarah quickly rushed back into the bedroom, her senses on high alert. Her mate turned over hastily and stared with wide eyes in worry.

"What?" Sonic sat up.

"Amy's gone."

The male didn't dare speak as thoughts interrupted his mind.

Sarah licked her lips and took quick looks at the door and her fiancé. "It's a little weird, don't you think? Amy normally sleeps in anyway."

He didn't respond. Sonic only jumped out of bed and stormed through the hallway, knocking on Shadow's door. Sarah gripped his arm from behind him. "Sonic, don't—"

Too late.

Sonic was already barging through. "You have the audacity to just throw her out—"

Everything in the room stopped at that moment. Sarah wasn't even sure their hearts were beating anymore. Hers was definitely skipping a few beats.

Red eyes had never glared so cruelly at Sonic—with slits so narrow they were barely seen. Sonic was the same, and Sarah could only sense that having two males in the same room right now with Amy in bed with one of them was a bad mix.

"Okay, what's going on?"

Amy woke up rather tiredly and grumpily. Sitting up, she failed to notice Shadow and Sonic's state of shock and anger. "Jeez, what—"

Green eyes observed the situation.

"Oh…This can be explained."

Sarah placed her hands on her hips and gave Amy a knowing look. The pink hedgehog cowered slightly and tried to sheepishly grin it off.

"Better do it quick and without any bullshit."

~.~

Sonic stared at the two adults at the kitchen table. His gaze was anything but pleasant as he had woken up to find Amy not on the couch and in Shadow's bed instead.

"So, you mean to tell me that Shadow's not affected with you being in heat anymore? Just poof suddenly. No feelings whatsoever."

"Yes," Amy mumbled like a child in trouble. It didn't help that Sarah was munching on cereal in the back of the kitchen by the window.

"And you're also saying that _you_ aren't affected by Shadow because of your situation?"

Shadow looked like the bored teenager during a lecture. He chose not to speak. Instead, he let Amy try and dig herself out of the grave she was in.

"Yes."

"So you are affected by Shadow?"

"N—"

"Oh, for the love of God, Sonic! It's been five days—her period is practically over!" Sarah yelled from the back. "Just let the damn girl _Skype_ Silver and Blaze so I can get on with enjoying my Saturday!"

"How can we protect bad things from happening if they choose to _sleep_ in the same bed as each other?" Sonic tried to reason with Sarah. Amy just wished for some sort of privacy in her life.

Sarah gave him an unhappy look, as she was clearly not amused. "Like if Amy got pregnant and Shadow got chlamydia?"

"Wouldn't that make it harder for Amy to get pregnant or does she have to be the one to have chlamydia?" Sonic questioned with a sincere tone as Sarah took a moment to think.

Amy bit her bottom lip while Shadow pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe this was happening. Amy was merely trying to answer the chlamydia question too.

"What if it works both ways?" the unsure female joined in.

Shadow slumped in his chair with a mental groan of frustration.

 _I'm surrounded by idiots…_

* * *

The annoying voice last night on the other side of the phone finally had a face.

And Shadow didn't like it.

There Silver the Hedgehog was on the other side of the screen. And Shadow wanted nothing more than to shut the laptop closed for some reason. It irked him—especially since the two males were sitting in silence.

Silver didn't seem to mind. He didn't even seem to notice Shadow at first.

The ebony male wasn't entirely alone, either. Amy was wandering about behind him in the kitchen while making breakfast for the four household members, although Sarah already had breakfast.

"Cereal doesn't fill you up at all. I can have five bowls in one day and still feel hungry," Sarah spoke as she sat down with her orange juice while Sonic came in from feeding animals.

Amy gave her a light grin. "That's okay, Sarah. Honest. I don't mind cooking for another mouth."

Sarah sighed and leaned back in her chair, watching Amy carefully and warmly. "You'd make a wonderful mother one day."

Even the lime green hedgehog could catch the quick glance Shadow found himself giving Amy. Sarah couldn't help but smirk before letting it falter across her muzzle and staring at her drink.

Sonic arrived from taking his shoes off and sat beside his future wife. "So, are we gonna get this show on the road or what?"

"I'm making breakfast," Amy snapped, pointing the spatula at him. "Make conversation with Silver."

"I made conversation with him last night though."

"You said hello."

"That's conversation enough."

" _I can hear everything you two are saying…I just can't see you."_

Sonic tilted his head to the laptop. It rested in front of Shadow, who chose to glare at the screen like it was a dark spirit that had Amy wrapped around its finger. The blue hero scoffed under his breath as he stood and walked around the table.

Going to the laptop, Sonic stared at the screen.

"I think you got chubbier, Silver."

" _Shut up."_

~.~

By the time everyone ate breakfast, Silver and Blaze had eaten dinner. Although they were several hours ahead of them, the two proved to be busy—well, at least Silver did. For them, it was nearly four in the evening.

"So, what was the news?" Amy propped herself between Sarah and Shadow, squishing in comfortably. Her chin rested on her palms as her elbows squeezed together to make room for Sonic to stand by Sarah.

Shadow remained immobile as ever. It was clear he wasn't moving to make any room whatsoever. It was as if his chair was glued to the floor.

Despite how many times Amy nudged him aside, he seemed to sway right back into the space he was before. Amy grit her teeth in annoyance while plastering a smile across her face. Happily making conversation with her best friend, the rose hedgehog did her best to forget the stupid male beside her.

" _Well…Blaze and I were thinking,"_ Silver scratched his chin in thought. Blaze had sat down several minutes after breakfast and remained quiet. " _That we might be there a little early."_

"How early? You said you'd go see—" Amy stopped and stared at the table, as if she had almost exploited the biggest secret in the universe. "Uh, I mean, you sounded like you'd be here earlier. But how much earlier?"

"Let the guy talk, Ames," Sonic groaned. "Your stuttering is slowing the process down. I got a whole Saturday to do nothing, and I'm spending it by _Skyping_ someone who could just fly here in a couple days—hours—whatever."

" _That's actually what we're doing."_

Amy's ears perked to the screen.

She decided against glaring at Sonic because she could feel the red eyes staring at her in suspicion. Shadow would never let her mistake go—he'd catch on sooner than later and she'd be force to tell him that she planned to see Cream after talking to Tails.

And then he'd probably give her some lecture and chew her out.

"What?"

" _It's a long flight. We leave tomorrow morning at seven a.m. We'll get there around eleven at night."_

"Tonight or tomorrow night?" Sonic narrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

" _It should be tomorrow night,"_ Silver responded. " _This includes the long drive we have to get to Shadow's place."_

"What."

"Shadow, I might have given them your address before I even moved here," Amy turned to the male and tried to explain, although shock was clearly written across his face.

" _Yeah. Blaze just printed out directions to it from the capital airport. Then we'll be all set. Ish. If everything goes smoothly. There could be plenty of things wrong—they might delay the flight or—"_

"Let me get this straight."

Everyone was quiet in the room while Shadow spoke. Red eyes stared at Amy with confusion and malice.

"I show up at some airport, pick you up and bring you to my house, and let you live here under my roof only to have you thank me, say some shit that's offensive, blubber apologies out, and repeat. And now you think it's okay to let _more_ people stay here without my consent?"

He stood and glowered with those vermillion eyes.

"Truth be told, I don't know who I'm more upset with right now. Sonic for getting me into this mess, or you—dear Amy Rose—for all the stupid actions your tiny brain seems to come up with," Shadow didn't care if Sonic was giving him death glare or ready to punch his lights out. Something snapped right then and there, and Shadow wasn't sure if recovery was an option after all the words were said.

"Or maybe it's me that I'm really upset with. I'm upset that I didn't just say no. That I let you waltz in here, act like you own the place, treat _me_ like garbage, and not once stand up for myself against you. Maybe it's because I actually _pitied_ you for a second."

Amy's ears flipped back against her head while she glared at Shadow. Her hand lightly touched the laptop, wanting to close it so Silver and Blaze didn't see this. She wanted to disappear from the angry male that was finally becoming the regular Ultimate Life Form that Amy Rose had once feared.

"Shadow, I—"

"I'm not going to stand here and be a lackey anymore," Shadow snarled, backing her into the table while Sarah moved to Sonic. At this point, even Sonic backed down. "You, Amy Rose, are a self-centered little girl who never grew up—and that is why you're here trying to live another life. You're so caught up in the past, you can't move on. I've had it with your actions, you pathetic child. You've never gone through half the hell I have—calling _me_ a broken record. Telling me to grow up."

Amy swallowed heavily as she stared at the floor. Tears prickled her eyes. She couldn't look up at him—she couldn't let the words hurt. But a part of her knew he was telling the truth.

"Treating me like the dirt under your shoes—yet I fed you, let you stay—I bought you clothes for God's sake," Shadow hissed. He grabbed her chin roughly. A tear trickled down her cheek and hit his thumb. "You're the broken record, Miss Rose. You're shallow to the core, and I've never been more disgusted about anything in my life."

Furiously, he let go of her chin and turned. Seconds later, the door to the garage opened and slammed shut tight.

All the couple could do was watch as the pink hedgehog sobbed. All her friends on the computer screen could do, was listen.

And all Amy could do, was realize how right Shadow was.

* * *

She took the keys.

It'd been two hours since the argument—more like harsh lecture from Shadow. Amy had apologized (as always) to Silver and Blaze. Sonic and Sarah had given her space.

But Amy didn't want space. She wanted closure. And she wasn't about to go find Shadow to reconcile again.

 _He's right._

 _I'm the broken record._

 _I felt terrible walking in on his life—I really did. Yet at the same time, I just lined myself up for all of these mishaps. And I never even tried to stop myself from insulting him._

The truck flew underneath her as she tried to recall the way to Tails' house. It dawned upon her that she could just steal Sonic's keys and take his truck. Shadow's truck was stick—and there was no way she was going to steal his truck after what happened.

 _I can talk to Tails about what happened, give Shadow some time to cool off, talk to Tails about Cream, go back and apologize._

Amy frowned in the rearview mirror.

 _Because apologizing is the only thing I'm good at nowadays._

His words still rang in her head.

No matter how harsh they did seem, Amy wasn't even offended. No. She had cried in front of him because of how true the words were, not how rude the words were. Although Shadow probably took it up one notch too far, Amy didn't mind. He had his reasons for blowing up—and honestly, it was building up to the point that it was inevitable.

 _I should have seen it sooner. Of course, he would have blown up sooner or later in my face, but I had hoped it wouldn't be in front of our friends._

 _Especially since they won't talk to me now._

All Silver and Blaze had said was their goodbyes. Sarah and Sonic had left in a hurry. Amy had been left alone in the kitchen to ponder about what to do next.

That's when the keys had caught her attention.

She stopped the truck as soon as she pulled into Tails' driveway.

Getting out of the pickup, Amy walked quickly to the front door. Tear stains were evident on her face, and her eyes were a bit red. Other than that, the rose hedgehog could care less if the fox questioned her.

He answered quickly after the knock, wearing an apron and a mitten on one hand. Embarrassedly, Tails glanced away. "Hey, Amy…I didn't think it was you. I thought it was _UPS_ or someone—"

She cut him off by storming in. Another thing she was good at.

"Tails, I need your help. With several things."

The male shut the door behind him and took off the mitten. He raised an eyebrow as his tails twitched tensely. "Okay…"

Amy swallowed as she tugged at her hoodie. "I know you dated Cream, and I know you still have feelings for her—you show it too easily. And I know you might hate me for waltzing in and telling you all of this, but that's the least of my worries after Shadow finally cracked this morning, and I need an apology greater than all apologies ever said, written, sang, whatever."

"Okay, slow down." Tails motioned to the kitchen as his eyebrows furrowed. "How'd you know about Cream and I?"

"She called," Amy answered as they walked into the kitchen. She took a seat at the table. "And Shadow told me. At first, he withheld some of the facts. After Cream called yesterday, I got Shadow to tell me everything. Or what I hope is everything."

Tails slowly leaned against the counter. He set the mitten and the apron on the counter, beside him and the stove while something baked in the oven. He stared at Amy with a blank stare. It beckoned her to continue.

Amy licked her lips. "I don't know what happened between you two—I mean, I do for the most part. But I don't want to be involved in your issue with her. I just want to see her. And I can't do that without you. Shadow would never tell me where she lived, much less take me there. And by the story he told me, I doubt Sonic would either. And I don't think Sarah would care all too much—plus she's busy with work for the most part."

"So…You expect me to go and take you to Cream?"

"Yes."

Tails laughed. "No."

Amy frowned as the fox paced a bit. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to see her."

"She regrets everything," Amy pleaded. "And you don't have to speak with her. Just drop me off."

"And what? You stay with her? Did Shadow kick you out?" Tails snorted.

After the moment of silence, the fox tilted his head in curiosity. "Did he, Amy?"

"No," the rose hedgehog's ears drooped as she spoke. She stared at her hands. "He might as well have though…God, I've been terrible." She gripped her quills. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Slow down. Take a few breaths." Tails reached into a cupboard and grabbed a glass. Filling it with water, he turned off the faucet and handed the glass to Amy. "And tell me what happened."

She sipped the water before setting it down on the table. Her hands were shaking and her words spewed out quickly. "I've been nothing but a selfish bitch this entire time. I've insulted my host more times than I can count, and I've apologized even more to the point that we've all gotten sick of just hearing my voice. Everything is falling apart in my life, and I can't fix it."

Tails watched as she rested against the table. He sat across from her.

"Maybe that's your problem, Ames."

"What?"

"You're thinking about you. You're being selfish because it was your life that was in shambles. You wanted so desperately to get shelter, you bombarded on our lives. After we gave you an inch, you took a whole mile."

"So…What should I tell him?" she brushed her quills aside. "I mean, he's disgusted with me. He said so himself."

Tails winced at the choice of words. "That's Shadow for you. I'm surprised he didn't stand up to you sooner. He was too kind for his usual self."

"Is that a good thing?" Amy questioned, gripping onto the glass of water.

He shrugged slightly. Pursing his lips, the fox thought out loud. "Shadow isn't the most social being out there. He definitely isn't the nicest either. Sure, after all these years he's pretty decent. He can put someone else before him now. Not everything is about him anymore. But I couldn't believe it when he actually let you live with him. I was waiting for him to kick you out. He hasn't?"

"Not yet…"

Tails cracked a grin. "He likes you."

"He hates me," Amy whispered. She was angry with herself. Angry that Shadow had said what she was denying this whole time. "He has a right to hate me. But he was beginning to sound like a broken record—it was…annoying."

"He's dramatic like that."

"But I was sounding like one, too." Amy bit her lip. "I made everything about me and losing my job in New York. Losing everything I ever had earned in those ten years. He lost his freedom. I lost my way of living."

"Sounds to me like you're _both_ broken records," Tails slightly grinned as he leaned back. "I'm sure he doesn't hate you entirely. There's a small part of him that likes your spunk. Likes something that you do." He eyed Amy up and down. "You've caught his eye."

Amy flushed. "Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about. I've been nothing but a nuisance to him."

"Yet you've made it this far. Which hints that you two have probably had heart-to-heart conversations. Well, as heart-to-heart as Shadow the Hedgehog gets," he teased.

"Tails, I'm being serious."

"Maybe that's another one of your problems."

She narrowed her eyebrows to glare at Tails.

"Think about it, Amy. You've done nothing but mope and say, 'woe is me,' this entire time. You've never once stopped to smell the roses," Tails propped up against the table, putting his arms on the wooden surface to lean against. "You're not Amy Rose anymore."

They were speechless for a long while.

She played with her fingers. He watched her remained quiet.

"Then who am I now? A bratty, selfish person with no heart to her old friends?"

"I say you and Shadow are both broken records. You're both people who aren't your old selves anymore. You're both stuck in the past some way or another." Tails raised a suggestive eyebrow.

Amy didn't like the way he was looking at her. "What are you saying?"

He leaned against his palm. "Maybe you should consider the possibility that you two are more compatible then you think. You just need to sort your situations out, get rid of the broken record, and start fresh. Together."

Slowly shaking her head, Amy stood from her seat and pointed at him accusingly. "You're not playing matchmaker right now."

Turning to the entry, Amy worked on her way to leave. Opening the door, she was surprised at the sudden strength Tails showed by slamming it shut and blocking her exit.

"Does he even know you're gone right now?"

"No." Amy walked back until she hit a table with a vase filled with flowers. She gripped the mosaic decorated stand unsteadily. "I don't need his permission to go somewhere, Tails."

"Fine…Let's compromise."

The rose hedgehog eyed the way to the back door quickly. Tails stopped a few feet in front of her. She was too nosy for her own good, she decided. "What?"

"I'll take you to see Cream—"

"When Silver gets here. He promised he'd go with me."

"—whatever. I'll take you to see Cream, and I'll even help you make up some stupid apology to Shadow if you want. But in return, you run a little experiment for me. For me and Sonic, really."

"I know you two want us to be…" just the word made her cringe. At this point in time, she never wanted to be in the same room as Shadow. "…something, but that's not going to happen."

"When you've successfully apologized to Shadow, act…" Tails eyed something in the living room. He glanced over at Amy before holding up a finger. "Hold on a moment. I'm going to get something that might help us."

Amy waited patiently, yet anxiously, as he went into the living room and came back out with a book. Softly, he placed it in her hands. She flipped it over to read the cover.

"How to Read Mobian Behavior by Ally Scorn." She glanced up at the fox. "You want me to read one of Sally Acorn's books on Mobian behavior before you take me to see Cream with Silver?"

"No. Not exactly. Read this," Tails tapped the book. "I haven't finished it. It was somewhat boring since I didn't have any reason to read it. It's mostly about how Mobians in general act, though. I got all five of her books. If you're interested, take whichever ones you like."

"Okay…" Amy raised an eyebrow as she looked over the book. She turned it over to read the back. "The mind of a Mobian can be somewhat difficult to read. At one point, they seem fully humane, and then in a blink of an eye, they're more animal than human."

"Read it. Study Shadow's behavior for me. Got it?"

"You want me to be like a secret psychologist for Shadow?" Amy stared up at him as if he were the stupidest thing alive.

"Yeah. Now, if you don't mind. I have a pie in the oven that's ready to come out soon. And no, you cannot have a slice," Tails spoke as he started to push her towards the door. "I have to work on a plane soon, so I've gotta go to the airport."

"We have an airport?"

He opened the door and shoved her outside. The rain clouds thundered overhead as Amy wondered when they had appeared. "Yes, it's just small. How else do you think we get a crop duster in the air?"

"Never actually knew what a crop duster was…"

Tails stopped and then saluted her. "Do what I asked for, and I'll take you to Cream. See ya, Amy."

The door shut and Amy was left outside. Little droplets of water began to hit her. She frowned and clutched onto the book. Giving it one last look, Amy shook her head.

What was Tails expecting to learn from this?

It was a book written by…an old friend. Amy climbed into the pick-up and set the book beside her. She stared at the alias Sally published by. Lightly smiling, Amy turned the truck on.

 _Fine. I'll give her a chance. From now on, it's a new start. Where I don't worry about the past, and I just live._

* * *

Sonic was waiting for her. With his hands on his hips and his foot tapping, it was obvious the blue blur was anything but happy.

"Look, you can go pout about what happened between you and Shadow, but that doesn't mean you should go and take my truck without permission."

Amy narrowed her eyes as she placed the keys in his palm. She needed to find Shadow. She didn't have time to chit chat with Sonic when all that would come out were rude comments.

"Asking for permission isn't really my style," Amy made a snide remark as she walked back outside in search of Shadow. She heard Sonic start to say something, but Sarah cut him off.

The door shut and she was left outside. The rain was coming down harder now. Glancing around, Amy saw the light in the workshop—where the tractors were kept. Running through the mud, Amy opened the side door with difficulty. She peered in and took her hoodie off. Listening to the sound of a wrench, she found Shadow under a swather.

He rolled out, lying on a cart, to see who it was. His face expression turned into a frown, and he pushed the cart back under the swather.

Amy glowered. Placing her foot on the cart, she easily rolled him back out from underneath the swather. He growled in annoyance and sat up.

"What do you want?" he snarled. The red eyes weren't friendly, but it wouldn't be the first time. And Amy doubted it would be the last.

Amy sucked in a deep breath of oily smelling air and exhaled. She offered her hand to him.

He could only stare at the hand and at Amy with a questioning look. Shadow wasn't entirely sure what she was doing. At least, not until she spoke.

"I'm Amy Rose. I was born and raised in Mobius, got saved by some hot rod, and followed him around for the majority of my life. I joined a fighting crew, although I was mediocre at best, and I ignored anyone that insulted the hero of my life. I survived plenty of wars by pure luck, got my heart broken several times by the same guy, and then moved to New York with my best friend whom I dated rather awkwardly."

"I don't have time for this," Shadow mumbled and moved back under the swather.

Amy wasn't about to give up though. She simply continued as her voice shook and her chin pointed slightly up. "We broke up mutually, and we eventually went on with our lives. I failed at college because I cheated on my final exam, and the professor caught me. I landed a job at a big magazine corporation anyway and I worked as a photographer before a graphic designer for them. I was fired by a man that wasn't allowed to fire me."

The ebony hedgehog raised an eyebrow at her as he seemed to inch out from underneath the machine. He was listening to her—that's what mattered.

"It wasn't a normal week unless at least five guys tried to ask me out or fill me up. After I got fired, my landlord would let me keep my apartment if I slept with him. I worked as a bartender for three days until I accidentally clocked a bitchy woman in the nose."

Oh, this story was getting interesting.

Shadow pulled out all the way and sat up, staring at her and the hand she still offered like an idiot. He was busy listening to her though.

It was like he was seeing so many different Amy Rose's at once. And it was exhausting, but peculiarly enough, he was engrossed for some reason.

"I walked dogs for only a day because I managed to lose one, and I have no clue where it is to this day. I enjoy cooking, reading, watching romantic movies, city lights at night, and ranunculi—or a ranunculus for singular. They look like roses on steroids." She took a breath. "I dislike dirty scumbags that expect me to be some stupid girl willing to spread her legs for them in an instant. I don't particularly like artichoke hearts or asparagus, and I choked on a grape in public once. It was a nightmare."

He watched as her chest was practically heaving from quickly speaking. Blinking, Shadow opened his mouth to say something. But she wasn't quite done yet.

"And my last job was as a stripper."

The wrench dropped from his grasp. Shadow ogled down at the ground as she stood there. He pursed his lips in thought.

Looking up slowly, he found her hand still waiting for him. Sighing, Shadow grabbed it. Amy helped him up and the two gazed at one another, still holding hands. Amy shook it slightly and offered him a small smile before pulling away.

The slight tingles from their touch vanished instantly.

"There. I'm done living in the past. I'm done thinking about the fact that I didn't make it. I'm done being a broken record. And I'm done being all about myself and being rude to my friends. You called me too selfless once. And I'm going to live up to it now," Amy finished and held her hands together loosely.

Complete silence followed, which she wasn't entirely surprised about. Amy figured he would turn away and not care that she had just spilled everything that she had tried so hard to forget and hide.

And he did turn away.

He picked up the wrench and put it back in the toolbox. Shutting the toolbox rather roughly, Shadow turned and leaned against it. Folding his arms, he scrutinized the poor female in front of him until she squirmed uncomfortably.

"You were a stripper?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Not my best moment…" Amy agreed with his tone. "But I was desperate. And it was either that or I actually sleep with my landlord."

"What, you didn't have any morals? You couldn't tell Silver and Blaze?"

"At that point..." she stared at the ground and exhaled shakily. "I didn't want to seem like a failure to them," Amy looked up. Her eyes were either watering again, or they were just like that. Shadow wasn't sure. "It wasn't about morals or values anymore. It was about living. And then I thought about Sonic and Tails. And I took it. I had to get out of there, Shadow."

He nodded in understanding as he kicked a pebble away. He cleared his throat, "Doesn't change anything that happened this morning."

"I'm sure Silver and Blaze will get a hotel when they come here. It'll be just for a night," Amy said. "And then I'll go with them."

"No, you're not."

She was astonished to hear him say that. The rose hedgehog backed up marginally because of the harshness laced within the words.

"You work for me, and you've done little to no work."

"Shadow, I don't think—"

"You really think I can keep this place running by myself after Sonic and Sarah leave?" Shadow moseyed to the swather and hung onto it. "It's grown bigger over the years because I've had the extra hands."

"Yes, but I'm not staying forever—"

"And until then, you're replacing them. You can stay as long as you act like a guest _should_ from now on."

Amy looked down at her feet and bit her bottom lip. "Yes, sir."

Shadow's gaze softened a tad, but he wasn't going to let the issue go so easily. This damned female was going to have to learn who was in charge around here. And she certainly wasn't going to be excused whenever she insulted him anymore.

Enough was enough.

He motioned to the door. "Now get out of here and let me finish in peace and quiet."

She nodded and hurriedly walked across the workshop. Putting her hoodie over her head, she gasped at a thought and turned to the ebony male. "Don't tell anyone what I've told you. Please. I don't want them to know."

"What makes me any different from them?" Shadow whispered, as if expecting her to ask this of him.

Amy shivered in the cold. Her hand rested on the door knob. She looked frantically at him, pleading in a tiny voice, "Because you and I are both broken records. We're the same. They wouldn't understand."

She left without another word. She left Shadow to stand in the workshop with a curious look across his face. She left him to think of the words she had spoken, and the truth she had said, and the confessions she had made.

The apology, for once, wasn't that bad.

His lips curled up to smirk slightly at the closed door.

Yes.

They were both broken records. They were both stuck in the past. They were both in the continuous loop of reliving their failures and fears every day with no one to talk to. The two hedgehogs had more in common that they had previously figured.

And for once, Shadow didn't feel completely alone.

* * *

 _Flames and smoke clouded her vision. All of her senses were useless as her legs continued to run in an unknown direction._

" _What's going on?!" A voice so familiar yelled._

" _It's the portal! It's collapsed!" Another familiar voice. Yet, she couldn't see anything. What was happening?_

" _How?!"_

" _Tails was a little off on his measurements!"_

 _The voices were faint, trying to yell over the crackle of the fire and the shouts of Mobians._

 _Something was wrong, but her legs kept running—or it felt like they were. When she blinked, it didn't feel like she was running. The scenery of trees on fire never changed to match her legs running. It was like her top torso was still, and her legs were stuck in a hamster wheel._

" _A little off?! We can't afford to be a little off! Eggman's getting closer to the city—we need these Mobians out of here NOW!"_

 _Suddenly, things changed. She wasn't running in place or surrounded by flames anymore._

 _Amy awoke to look at a ceiling of white. A light blared back at her until it was moved away by a purple cat. So familiar…_

" _Amy?" The figure was blurry and her voice was slurred._

 _Amy groggily got up from the bed and looked around the plain white room of brick. "Where am I?" she apparently spoke._

" _Two miles from the portal. You got caught in some of the aftermath of the portal destruction. Tails is fixing it now—burials are taking place. Other than that, we have another group of Mobians missing. One of the crew members took a wrong turn in the canyon. We need you to go find them as quick as possible."_

" _Okay."_

 _Her vision became white. Her eyes became droopy. She was gone again, flying through the air and above the forests._

 _Then it was white again, and she was standing in front of a group of scared and lost Mobians. There were only about twenty of them—some children and others were adults._

" _Let's go—"_

 _A bang filled her ears as the tree caught fire and the missile exploded. She flew through the air, catching herself with a tree branch. Looking back, Amy only saw a sight of horror._

 _Bodies mangled and fried to the core while Mobians ran about and screamed._

 _Her group of lost Mobians was supposed to be under her command; she felt the responsibility seep in. This was familiar. This moment…it was like déjà vu._

 _Another missile exploded and her vision blurred again. Blood, death, fear—it all filled up her senses and she couldn't think. Her vision went along with it. She felt like scratching at her eyes, trying desperately to see the wreckage she had caused._

 _She was supposed to take care of them. Just a small group of Mobians. And she had failed to do even that._

 _Her sight came back to her only for a moment as a little girl in the group appeared. Running through the battlefield, the little girl cried out for her deceased parents. Holding a stuffed animal close to her, she stopped upon seeing Amy standing several feet away from her._

 _The little hedgehog ran towards her with the toy in tow. Tears ran down her cheeks, but Amy could recall the relief that crossed through her eyes upon seeing an adult._

 _Then another missile was fired, and everything turned into fire._

"AH!" Amy shot up in her sleep.

She didn't notice she was crying until she felt the tears run down her cheeks rapidly. Glancing around at her surroundings, Amy tried to gather where she was. Breathing rapidly, her lungs felt as if they were burning like the trees in the memory.

 _I'm downstairs. I stayed up later to watch a movie and apologize to Silver and Blaze over email. I must have fallen asleep._

But she didn't remember turning off the TV or grabbing a blanket. Amy huddled into the couch and thought of the dream. Staring widely at the TV, it took only a second before Amy found herself curled up in a ball and bawling into the blanket.

She tried to smother out her cries with the fabric, but she wasn't entirely sure if she was succeeding. All she knew was that guilt and regret ate away at her. It felt like she was punched in the gut a thousand times and a thousand more for extra measure.

The face of the little Mobian girl kept flashing in Amy's head.

Her heart hurt like hell—or maybe it was just her chest, as her lungs heaved up and down with her irregular sobs. She hadn't had that nightmare in a long time.

Arms suddenly wrapped around her figure, trying to pick her up.

"No!" she screamed within her cries. "No!" It was more like a bloodcurdling sound than an actual word, but it hurt everyone's ears.

"Amy?" the lights turned on, but she didn't care. She only winced from the bright light and continued to cry in the blankets. "Shadow, what's going on?"

The ebony hedgehog was trying to pick up the distraught female. "I don't know. She must have had a nightmare. I'm tried to pick her up, but she freaked out."

Sarah walked in between Sonic and Shadow. She combed through Amy's quills softly as the trio let the pink flower bawl. "Amy? Did you have a nightmare?"

"It was my fault," the words were barely heard throughout her cry fest. "It was my fault they died."

Sarah looked back at Shadow and Sonic. Shadow simply shrugged at the questioning female. Sonic sighed and gripped his quills however.

"Jesus. Amy. That was a long time ago."

He knelt down and grabbed the end of the blanket. "Amy had a bad run during one of the missions to save a lost Mobian group. She and two others survived. I remember her having nightmares, but," he shook his head, "Nothing like this."

"Maybe she hasn't had one for a long time, so it's a bit more of a harsh reality coming back to slap her in the face," Sarah suggested.

Sonic stood, along with his mate, and continued to hover over the distraught female. "Either way, we can't just leave her alone tonight. She's had a rough day as it is."

Shadow inched down again and slipped his arms around her. She made a protesting whine and pushed against him. This time, he expected the sudden freak out from her. Holding her tightly against him, Shadow led the way up the stairs.

"Sonic, can you get the lights?"

The blue blur was the last one up the steps of the basement. He shut the door, watching as Butch padded down the hallway and into Shadow's room. The light was on and Amy was nestled in Shadow's bed.

"Shadow…"

"She needs company," Shadow remarked, not looking at Sonic as he tucked Amy in.

Sarah came up behind Sonic and touched his arm. Giving him a reassuring look, Sarah went to their bedroom after saying goodnight. Sonic leaned against Shadow's door.

Butch didn't hesitant to walk in and jump up on the bed.

Licking Amy's face, Butch let out a small whine and cuddled up to the pink hedgehog. He didn't understand why she was suddenly crying. It made him sad. But he figured his licks to her cheek were helping in some way.

Shadow walked to the door and stared at Sonic. The blue hedgehog sighed and let his shoulders drop.

"I never pegged you for the bad guy anyway."

The ebony male watched as Sonic disappeared into his own bedroom, where Sarah was waiting. Shadow shut the door and turned off the lights. Finding his way to the bed, Shadow slunk in under the covers. He was caught off guard by Butch's head being in the way.

Opening his mouth to shoo the dog away, the Ultimate Life Form halted. The dog nuzzled Amy until her cries became soft hiccups and whimpers.

Shadow exhaled deeply as he brushed aside her bangs.

Her crying didn't completely stop until ten minutes or so later. Her hiccups ceased after a couple more minutes.

Amy batted her eyes open as she glanced up at Shadow. He was sitting in the bed, looking at the wall intently.

Green eyes stared as her lips trembled. She dared to speak, but he cut her off before she could even get one syllable out.

"After Rouge left, I stayed in the city for only a week. The people weren't particularly nice uptown or downtown. So, I moved to Canada—spent my time alone. I'd occasionally go into a small town to visit a psychologist. They told me my past actions were always going to somehow influence my future." Shadow gazed down at his hands, as if seeing all the blood of the people he had killed splattered across his palms.

"I never saw myself as a hero. But I never really saw myself as a villain. And after so much time, it made me envious that everyone could settle down into a normal life, and I could not. There were small towns that I would be welcomed in. But it was cold. So I moved back to the States after Tails contacted me. And I've been here ever since."

He ignored the sparks that shot across his arm as she touched him. The fluttering in his stomach was probably just from dinner.

"I figure everyone goes through their fair share of hell. I was mistreated by the people I saved. And you were mistreated by your coworkers. I'd move on," he murmured in deep thought, "…but there will always be someone willing to throw a milkshake at me. And the reminder of their disrespect—their hate—will only come back to shove me into solitude."

Amy scooted closer to him, minding the sleeping dog between them. "You're the Ultimate Life Form. If they see you as a monster, then give them hell."

Red eyes looked at her with something akin to shock. Shadow raised an eyebrow. "You want me to make the monster part true? Like I want that in my life?"

"No." She shook her head sympathetically. "Either give them hell, or give them a reason to think otherwise, Shadow."

He twisted away from her, but not without ruffling her quills. Amy groaned in annoyance, but he only nonchalantly chuckled at her reaction.

Amy paused before sitting up a bit more. "I wanna make a truce. And a pact. Between you and me."

"Hmph," Shadow tried not to laugh at her. He only looked at her as if she were delusional. "A truce?"

"I'll do my best not to insult you when you aggravate me, and you do the same for me. We become friends—or at least tolerable of each other in the nicest way possible."

"And the pact?"

"We help each other move on with our lives. And if one of us is falling into a relapse, then the other is there to help—no matter what's going on."

Shadow leaned closer to her, which caused her to blush and sink lower back into the bed. "And what makes you think I'll agree to either of those things?"

"Because we're more alike than you think, Shadow. At least, we understand one another. Sonic and Sarah can't understand you like I can. That and…" she looked at her hands embarrassedly.

"And what?" he pried.

"And I don't want to lose you," she whispered sincerely, much to his disbelief. He backed away, unsure if she was telling the truth. "I don't want to lose anyone."

Shadow heaved a sigh tenderly. Amy was caught off guard as his lips grazed her forehead in a soft kiss. She watched as he spun away from her again. Getting the message, Amy smiled gently and sunk back into the sheets obediently.

"Wake me if you have the dream again," he mumbled and lied down on his side, facing away from her.

Amy hoped that wouldn't be necessary.

She wasn't even certain if she could fall asleep, though. Her eyes were tired from crying, but her heart had skipped a beat upon his caring gesture. It was odd for Shadow the Hedgehog, and it must have meant something. He wouldn't have done it to just anyone.

 _I think I got through to him finally._ Amy grinned into the blankets. _And I'm not going to mess this up again._


	19. Tensions on the Rise

**STH © SEGA/Archie**

 **Sarah and the Wilson's © Cozy Shadow**

 **Flame, Petunia, Jeffery, and Sunny © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _Check out my new poll! :D Please vote!_

 _Been hella busy._

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen:**

 **Tensions on the Rise**

Breakfast between the four household members went on as usual—as if the Saturday never happened.

Shadow noticed Amy's lack of movement though.

She poked the eggs with her fork as it seemed she was lost in deep concentration. She had slept through most of the night, but had gotten up early to help Shadow feed the animals.

Watching her with the horses had given the ebony hedgehog an idea, however.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Sonic sparked up a conversation, glancing at anyone that might want to speak—which ended up being Sarah.

"I've got some stuff we can move into the new house," Sarah responded as she chewed. Amy figured she wasn't the best with manners sometimes. "Some pictures we need to hang up for the most part."

"Great. Because I do not want to watch any more movies. We watched enough yesterday."

Before Sarah could make a retort, Sonic continued, "How about you, Ames? Any plans for today? Company won't be here until tonight."

"Uh," Amy played with her food still. "I didn't have any plans. Read a book that Tails let me borrow."

"Is that where you went yesterday?"

Shadow's head shot up. "She _left_?"

"Took my keys, the little vixen," Sonic teased while Amy shrugged it off. "What'd you go to Tails for anyhow?"

"Just…reasons," Amy gritted her teeth, trying to avoid any more of the conversation. But everyone was interested in it now.

"Like what?" Sarah sipped at her orange juice slowly while looking over at the pink flower, "To get books? The kid orders so many, he might as well have a library."

"He does?"

"Yeah. I'm borrowing some from him now. He hardly has time to read them anyway—I don't see why he gets them."

"But what was the reason of going to Tails via Sonic's truck—without permission to use said vehicle?"

They all stared at the head of the table. Shadow wasn't discouraged, although he had spoken rather oddly. It might have been the fact that he even asked at all.

"I just needed to speak to him about some things. It's a need-to-know basis."

Sonic smirked as he observed the discussion between the two. Shadow upturned his eyebrow faintly. "Need-to-know…"

"Top secret. Very top secret. I'm running an experiment for him."

"Ooo, like the ones with vials of special serum that transforms you into a man-eating beast?" Sarah smiled rather sarcastically, but Amy couldn't quite tell.

"Ummm…"

"What type of experiment?"

The rose female turned to Sonic. His gaze had turned serious and fatherly. Gulping, Amy gripped the table. "Why don't you ask him yourself? He said it was for you and him."

"What?" Sonic and Sarah both simultaneously spoke.

Shadow remained quiet and stood from the table. He set his dish in the sink, along with the empty glass. "Amy, come with me. We'll let these two lovebirds get on with their day."

"But I haven't finished breakfast."

He stopped short, standing in the entryway of the laundry room. He intended to leave through the garage to get his old truck started. Staring back at her with an emotionless gaze, Shadow huffed.

"It doesn't look like you're going to eat it anyway."

Sonic twisted around in his chair. "But she hasn't told me about this so-called experiment."

"You heard her loud and clear, Sonic," Shadow gripped the archway as he glowered at the blue blur intently. "Ask Tails yourself."

The dark male left without another glance. Amy swallowed loudly before hurriedly placing the wasted breakfast on the counter. "Sarah, can you take care of that?"

She rushed out to get her boots on. Grabbing a coat, Amy fled after Shadow.

"Yeah, sure." Sarah watched with Sonic as Amy opened and slammed shut the door to the garage. She looked over at her fiancé. "What are they doing?"

Sonic shrugged, but it was obvious he was curious to know the answer to her question as well. "I don't know. But remind me to call Tails later."

* * *

The truck ride was bumpy as ever to the barn. Amy was a little confused as to why they were headed back out to the animals.

"So, uh, what are we doing?"

"What's the _experiment_ for Tails?" He didn't miss a beat.

Amy slunk down in the seat and stared out the window. She couldn't tell him—he'd find it weird and would know exactly what it was for. Then he'd go and chew out Tails and Sonic.

"I can't tell you."

"So, it involves me."

"Just because I can't tell you, doesn't mean it's about you," Amy retorted. She glared at him from the corner of her eye, but he was looking ahead at the dirt road. "I just have to read a book."

Shadow took a glimpse at her with a quizzical look. "A book? Fox boy wants you to read a book?"

"It's more like what it's about and…stuff. It's not just reading the book though," Amy assured. She wasn't sure who she was reassuring though. She didn't want the experiment to sound dumb to Shadow, and she didn't want it to sound dumb to her either. She wanted to trick her mind into thinking it was a logical experiment so Tails would take her to see Cream.

It was as simple as that.

Just because Tails wanted her to study Shadow's behavior didn't mean anything suspicious.

It didn't.

"Then what is it? Or should I call him up myself?"

"Like he would tell you anything," Amy scoffed as she huddled closer in her jacket.

Shadow glanced at her from his peripheral with a smirk. "You think I don't have my ways of finding things out? I know a lot more about these folk than one would think. Apparently, everyone around here needs that silent person in the corner that they can spill all their life secrets to without worrying that it be told to anyone else."

"That does sound familiar," Amy jokingly said with a light laugh. She surveyed their surroundings as they came closer to the barn. "But, seriously, Shadow. What are we doing?"

Red eyes turned away from her. "I want to show you something."

* * *

"A little to the left."

Sonic groaned in annoyance as he held the picture. Their new house was normally quiet, but he hoped it wouldn't stay that long. Glancing back at his future wife, Sonic tilted his head. "This okay?"

She seemed to think before motioning to the left a bit.

"Sarah, it doesn't have to be perfect. It's level. That's what matters."

"I want it more to the left."

Clenching his jaw, Sonic set the picture down on the floor. Sarah watched in confusion as Sonic sat down on the couch with her. "We have a dilemma."

"The one where your brother is supposed to arrive tonight with his girlfriend and you didn't tell Shadow. So now he thinks it's just Blaze and Silver showing up, but in reality, there are four more people he's going have to open his arms to."

Sonic stared at the wall blankly. "Sometimes…I don't like the way you say things."

"Well, sometimes I don't like your disgusting purple shirt you wear."

The blue male wrapped an arm around Sarah, causing her to lean against his chest. "I can't believe you invited Manic…"

"He's your brother."

Sonic's jaw clenched. His gaze was like stone as his hands combed through her soft quills. "He doesn't deserve that title."

"Oh, come on." Sarah rolled her eyes and sat up. Sonic met her eye contact. "Your mother's been in the hospital for a _long_ time, Sonic. You can't expect Manic to drop everything in California and come live here—where he definitely wouldn't get better pay. He's got a girlfriend. And by the looks of things, it's getting serious."

"I know," Sonic agreed stubbornly. "I get that he has priorities there. But he never calls. He hasn't spoken to us in…years. And it makes me sick to my stomach that he's going to show up after all this time."

Sarah furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because chances are, he'll act like nothing's happened. He'll pretend he was here this entire time to see Sonia's kids or to see Mom in the hospital."

She got up from the couch and placed her hands on her hips. "Look, whatever beef you've got with your little brother—solve it on your own time. Don't bring others into it. He's working around the clock and trying to get by each day. You would know this if you even tried to keep conversation with his girlfriend."

Sonic scowled, hissing as he stood and walked into the adjoining kitchen. "Yeah, I get it. He's busy having his own life. But family is family. You make the time for them."

"Do _you_?"

He was caught off guard. Turning, he stared at his fiancée as she stood in the archway. She looked unsure of his sentence and a little insulted. Her brown eyes were always hard for him to read.

"Because I don't. My parents are off traveling to God knows where every month. My brothers are doing their own things. I hardly talk to my family."

"Your family and my family are very different," he retorted.

She crossed her arms curtly. "So, when you and I have kids, and Manic gets engaged, would you go to his wedding?"

Sonic scoffed as he pulled against the second archway that led to the dining room. "That's not a fair question."

"How is it not?" Sarah pressed as she cornered him by the breakfast nook. "Let's make a scenario for you. One scenario is that we have a newborn. Would you go?"

"No."

"Two-year-old."

"No."

"Five-year-old."

"No."

The more he said the word, the more Sarah completely understood his answer. She could have said teenager or no kid at all, and Sonic still wouldn't go to his little brother's wedding—at least in the example.

She remained emotionless. "So, the family thing…He's not included, is he?"

Sonic opened his mouth to speak, but he only came out with another scoff. The blue hedgehog walked around her in haste. "Manic's made the decision to not acknowledge that Mom is in the hospital—"

"And how do you know that?"

He was really trying to stop himself from growling, but she was so damn infuriating when she was making a point. Twisting around, Sonic faced her.

"How do you know that Manic doesn't acknowledge her situation? He knows, Sonic." Sarah sauntered up to him until they were only a foot apart. "He knows his mother has dementia. And he knows she's in critical condition from falling down a flight of stairs. Manic isn't dumb, and he isn't trying to run away from his family issues like I tried to. He's coping. He was born a drifter, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care."

They stood in silence for a good long minute. Sarah shifted uncomfortably after a moment. Sonic's gaze was cold and hard, which made her wary.

"Let's just get the pictures up."

* * *

Amy sat on top of a hay bale. Well, it was more like Shadow had told her to sit there.

She didn't completely understand why until he grabbed a saddle.

Gasping, Amy set her hands to her cheeks and tried to contain her grin. Shadow smirked as he placed the saddle on top of the wooden fence. "We're riding horses…" Amy bit her bottom lip. "You're actually going to teach me to ride a horse."

"No."

Her ears drooped down as her smile vanished.

"You're going to teach yourself. I'm not the best teacher around, so—live and learn, yes? Isn't that what you city slickers say?" Shadow huffed in a teasing manner while opening the corral gate. They were still in the barn, which was dustier than usual.

Amy crossed her knees and jeered. "No. It's just what _I_ say."

She watched in sheer interest as Shadow calmly approached the big bay horse that stood in the corner, staying mainly to himself. Hopping off the hay bale, Amy meandered to the wooden fence of the corral and faintly grinned.

His hand went up to the horse's snout.

The horse snorted at first and bopped his head a little. Shadow merely whispered soothingly—in a tone that Amy had never heard from him before. Shadow walked backwards, letting the horse follow him out of the corral. Amy fidgeted in anxiety as the animal stood out of its pen without a lead rope.

"Uh, shouldn't you tie it up or something?"

Shadow chuckled. "No. Wrangler doesn't have a mean bone in his body," he patted the horse on the neck and gave Amy a soft stare. "He'll stand where you leave him. I let Petunia ride him during the summer. He's good with beginners. The other horses…well, they can be skittish."

"Are you calling me inexperienced?" Amy moseyed over to the horse cautiously. Normally, she'd pet it from behind a fence. It was different when she could practically feel the body heat the horse gave.

"Yes," Shadow responded without missing a beat as he grabbed the saddle from the fence. Walking around Amy, he moved back to Wrangler and set the saddle on. "The blanket's already under the saddle, if you're wondering."

"I didn't even know it was required…"

"Well, in case you ever want to ride a horse, now you know."

Amy tilted her head as her ears perked up. She walked closer to Shadow until she was practically whispering in his ear while he cinched up the saddle. "You're saying you'd let me ride a horse _by myself_?"

Shadow ceased his actions before bending his neck to stare down at the little hedgehog, "Absolutely not."

Groaning, Amy marched around the horse before getting to its head—which didn't take long. Wrangler bopped her forehead with his nose. She moved back before smiling warmly at the animal. "He is a big softy, isn't he?"

Petting Wrangler on the nose, she leaned a bit to look over at Shadow with a knowing look.

Shadow wasn't looking at her though. "Yeah, Frank Wilson thought he'd be best for me when I first started out. He's a true mountain horse, that's for sure."

"There's a whole awful lot of talk about these Wilson folk," Amy wondered, "Supposedly a big family with most of the land."

"Yes."

"Helped you start the farm here."

"Yes."

Amy walked to the other side of the horse, tippy toeing to look over the saddle at Shadow. "That's all?"

"Not exactly. They're like family friends—or at least, that's what Sonic and Sarah call them."

Filled with curiosity, Amy watched as Shadow bent down to adjust the breast collar for the horse. She followed pursuit and cocked her head to the side. "Do _you_ think they're family friends?"

"What's with the sudden interest?"

She shook her head lightly. "It just seems like they're a bigger part of your life than you make them out to be. Why?"

"If you haven't exactly noticed, I'm not that social. I know most of the people in this community because of farming business or walking into them at the gas station or bank down in Lenore. Other than that, I hardly leave the farm unless absolutely needed."

"But the Wilson dances you go to?"

"Ugh," Shadow groaned. "I can only imagine Sarah told you all about them."

"She might have put them in a conversation once or twice," Amy noted. "But I think you told me about them, too. Not into much detail. How come you never said the Wilson's tried to set you up with several women?"

It was true.

Sarah might have spoken to her after dinners or during TV time, watching _Wheel of Fortune._ And the Wilson dances might have been in the conversations once or twice—including the tiny part where they were constantly setting Shadow up on dates.

But it's not like Amy would confess to hearing such things.

"Because none of them interested me in the slightest," Shadow droned as he went to grab the bridle, seeing as Amy would be no help. Grabbing it from the hay bale she had been sitting on, the ebony male walked back, but only to find said aggravating female blocking his way. "And they think I should settle down—almost being thirty and all."

"So you're not denying that you wouldn't mind settling down? You just didn't like the girls they chose?"

Shadow walked around her with ease and worked on placing the bridle on Wrangler. "I don't know why you have a sudden interest on the Wilson's meddling with my life, but I'll tell you this." He turned abruptly and faced her—they were standing only inches apart. "After all these years, I've come to be more prone to feelings and emotion. I know it must come as a shock to you."

Amy rolled her eyes.

"But who's to say that I won't mind settling down and having a family? Then again, maybe I don't want that at all. I'm perfectly capable of living as a bachelor for the rest of my life."

He pretended to tip an imaginary hat as he went back to work on the bridle. Slipping it over Wrangler's head, he could sense Amy wasn't budging.

"Shadow, why haven't you settled down?"

The ebony male scoffed and faced her. "Do you honestly think that I, Shadow the Hedgehog, have a great chance at finding what normal human beings call love? That there's some woman out there that won't bore me to death with her touchy feeling nonsense and overemotional thoughts? That there's even a slight chance that a woman, knowing of my past, would accept me completely? I've seen the look some Mobians give me, female and male alike."

"But you helped save them. They shouldn't hate on you like the humans do."

"Some do. Others just hold grudges because they're family members didn't come out alive. And others don't like the fact that I'm practically alien to any world I've come across."

She had to pause at that one. He had a good point. Alien was different. It wasn't welcome in most cases, and Shadow's physical look didn't exactly provoke panties to drop.

 _Then again…_

Amy tilted her head a great amount this time as she stared at Shadow. He watched her actions with a raised brow.

 _He is sort of good looking. A long time ago, I would have never given him a second chance. But he's actually…aged quite nicely. If he's even supposed to age, that is._

"Wait, I thought you were immortal."

That seemed to strike a chord as Shadow flinched. "Yes, well…the portal, again, did some disservices as well as bringing us to Earth. It was designed for the time differences mainly. A year here was a month back on Mobius. Tails isn't completely sure what made things change in some people."

"You…lost your immortality?" Amy looked confused. "How is that even possible?"

"I lost a lot of things, but I don't fret about it," Shadow backed up as to show Wrangler to her, all decked out in his tack. Shadow pressed against Amy's lower back, pushing her towards the horse.

"Wait—"

"Live and learn," he mocked hastily while suddenly hoisting her up into the saddle as she let out a single screech.

Wrangler only moved his ears back. Other than that, the horse stood still as a statue while Amy clung onto his neck for dear life. Shadow stepped back leisurely and crossed his arms while attempting not to chuckle at the scared female.

Amy slowly opened her eyes, forgetting about their previous conversation. She rested on the back of the giant horse and gulped ever so deeply and loudly that even Shadow heard it.

"Okay." She sat straight in her own time before glancing down at Shadow.

"Well?" Red eyes filled with humor.

"It feels nice to be taller than you for once, that's for sure."

* * *

He had to admit, Amy Rose looked rather good on a horse.

Amusing and beautiful was more like it.

Shadow sat on a black horse, walking beside Wrangler – who still managed to carry the rose hedgehog. Amy hadn't slipped off yet, but she was still clinging to the horn of the saddle.

"Relax."

She wanted to glare at him. It wasn't as easy as it looked, and they were only _walking._ Amy feared that any movement from her would cause Wrangler to think she asked him to gallop. And she didn't want that. "I'm starting to rethink my wish for my future love life."

Shadow remained silent at the randomness. He only raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want to gallop off into the sunset anymore," Amy sat straighter as the horse moved awkwardly underneath her. "Maybe a slow walk into the sunset, but nothing too extravagant."

The dark male snorted in humor. "You are an odd one, Miss Rose."

"Thanks, I suppose." Amy tried to relax in the saddle. Suddenly staring at him, she thought about their previous conversation in the barn. "So, who were the women the Wilson's set you up with?"

Shadow turned to her with a clenched jaw and a blank stare. "Prostitutes."

Glowering, Amy stared to her left instead of her right – avoiding eye contact with him altogether as she mumbled, "I was only curious."

"You're always curious, Amy. And they weren't prostitutes."

She rolled her eyes. "I could have figured that one out myself. I doubt a religious family that cares so much about you and wants you to settle down would do that to you. It'd be funny, but probably not like them."

"One was from town – distant friend of one of Frank's daughters. She was overly shy, a mouse, and scared out of her wits when she saw me."

"Did you ever hang out with these blind dates?"

"Not her, no. She saw me walk in, and I saw her running out. I assume it was the way I look. Red eyes probably aren't always welcoming, and Sonic does say I always look a little hostile."

"I like them." Amy blurted. She bit her bottom lip as Shadow cast a glance her way.

"What?"

The pink female smiled sheepishly as she stared at Shadow. "Your eyes. I like them. They might be few and far between and therefore not normal, but I think they look anything but harsh. Especially when you look at Petunia or Jeffery—they get softer. And you can see hints of orange in your eyes."

Realizing that she was babbling, Amy stopped talking and let the silence soak in. Shadow suddenly chuckled at her warmly. "You are strange."

"Yes, you've mentioned that once or twice. Back to the mouse."

"There was nothing left to say. Then there was a fox—and I will admit that she was decent looking—who didn't even want to be there. I spent most of the time drinking a spiked punch, and she spent most of the party talking to anyone but me."

"Aw, I'm sorry," Amy genuinely felt a little bad for Shadow. "It's a little odd to see you on a date or anything, but at least you didn't turn them down—since the Wilson's were doing so much to give you a companion."

"I did turn some down. There was the minx. Couldn't have cared less about her. Then there was the hedgehog from out of state—she wasn't friendly whatsoever."

"I'm surprised the Wilson's even kept trying after four."

"Eighteen."

Amy raised both her eyebrows in surprised. "Wow—really? _Eighteen_ ," she whispered, mainly to herself. "This Wilson family must have really wanted you to settle down."

"They're still trying. I fear the St. Patrick's Day dance won't be any different."

Something tweaked a bit in Amy after hearing him say that. For some reason, she didn't exactly want to see Shadow on a blind date. Despite his words, Amy plastered a grin across her face. "I'd love to meet the Wilson family."

"I'm sure they'd get a kick out of you," Shadow smirked. "Frank's wife is quick to mother anybody around here. She has your passion for cooking also."

"It's more or less a hobby," Amy tried to state as Wrangler pushed through the snow. The late winter air was breezy, but the sun was shining by now.

"Why don't we finish up and drive over to meet them?"

"What? Who? The Wilson's?" Amy stuttered. "We can't just invite ourselves over, that'd be rude."

Shadow huffed and turned the giant horse he was on around. Facing the barn, Shadow grabbed Amy's reins and made Wrangler face the same direction. He noticed the rose hedgehog was beginning to grow nervous.

"I'm welcomed at Frank's anytime, just as he is welcomed to drop by here anytime."

Amy followed Shadow for a moment or two before smiling softly. She let out an easygoing hum, which made him stare at her uncertainly. "I take it you _do_ see them as family friends."

"No."

"Wha?" Amy blinked at his quick response. She glared, almost retorting that he was too stubborn to admit any feeling whatsoever to anyone or anything.

But Shadow exhaled through his nose softly as he tugged on her reins, tying them around the horn of his saddle. Wrangler caught up with the black horse so Amy's legs skimmed Shadow's for a second. Red eyes stared ahead tenderly.

"The Wilson's are the closest people I have to a family."

* * *

She wasn't ready to meet anyone new—hell, her quills were probably a mess still—but Shadow wasn't going to budge. He had gotten her off of Wrangler and into the truck.

There was no stopping him now.

"Relax. Eloise is too kind to hate you, Amy."

"Still, I'm a little nervous," Amy bit her bottom lip as she twirled an end of one quill. "And I don't know why."

"Elisa is the one you should watch out for."

"Why?" Amy stopped and dreaded the moment now. Shadow continued to drive down the road from his house; onto the lone road they called the Sawyer highway. It was empty as usual. "Is she rude? Judgmental? Does she not like pink?" The rose hedgehog gasped. "Does she not like us heroes because we didn't exactly stand up for you?" she whispered.

Shadow glanced over at Amy as if she had grown two heads. "No. None of that."

"Well, then why is she so bad?"

"I never said that. I said she was the one you should watch out for."

"Meaning?" Amy leaned closer to Shadow in order to get the answer and hear it when it came out of his mouth.

"She's…" He exhaled as they pulled onto another road. In total, they had been riding horses almost thirty minutes ago, "A little talkative."

Amy paused, raising an eyebrow. "Is that a bad thing?"

"One who likes solitude would think so," Shadow muttered. "But Elisa knows everyone and everything around Sawyer—like most Wilson's do. She's quite a gossiper."

"A gossiper?"

"Well, she likes to talk gossip a lot. Even to me, although she knows I don't particularly enjoy it and would rather be working than listening to her. She'll talk about anyone's ear off."

"What's not to like about her?" Amy grinned as she sat back. "She sounds like me. But why should I watch for her?"

"She might…assume things," Shadow continued at a snail pace.

They drove down the dirt road that had connected with the "highway" a few minutes ago. He could see the trees and the rooftop of the Wilson's house. Everything else was farmland the large family owned.

Gripping the steering wheel, Shadow wondered if this had been a good idea.

 _Well, she would have met them sooner or later. I guess it doesn't matter now. Besides, what's to worry about? They'll adore Amy as if she were their own daughter. They do to about everyone._

Shadow figured there was nothing to worry about, but he couldn't be so optimistic. He had to leave some room for doubt and concern. But as he pulled up to the two-story house and saw Eloise waving outside, all doubts were lost.

Amy unbuckled after Shadow did. They walked out together and met up with the older woman, who had been busy cutting her bushes.

"My, my. Is that Shadow?" Eloise grinned as she tugged on her western hat. Her light eyes sparkled still with young life, and she was rather fit for her age. White hair cascaded down from underneath the human's hat.

The rose female awkwardly stood there, watching in awe as Shadow welcomed Eloise in a willing hug. The gesture didn't seem like Shadow the Hedgehog at all—it only intimidated Amy more. How good were these Wilson people, anyway? Would they think less of Amy or not even care? Would they welcome her or push her away?

Amy gulped.

"You haven't visited since last fall. Sweetheart, are you okay? Sonic said you were coming down with a fever during Christmas," Eloise touched Shadow's forehead in a motherly manner.

"I'm fine, Eloise. I just have an old friend here right now. She's keeping me on my toes," Shadow snorted in humor as he jerked his thumb towards Amy.

Eloise gaped at the pink female hedgehog.

Shadow didn't have lady friends. Never. Ever. Not ever. Especially not gorgeous ones like the one standing in front of her.

The elderly woman stopped herself from smiling happily, and rather gave Amy a hospitable grin as she gathered the tense hedgehog in her arms, "Oh, hello, darling. Any friend of Shadow's is a friend of the Wilson's."

"Oh!" Amy shakily returned the hug.

Eloise pulled away, but held onto Amy's arms. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Amy Rose."

The name sounded so familiar, and Eloise could easily remember why. She exhaled sharply as she squeezed Amy's arms softly. "Thank you for your services in the war, Miss Rose. Shadow, how come you never told me about her?" Eloise turned to the dark hedgehog.

"When I say old friend…" Shadow trailed off as Eloise gave him a knowing look. "She's more or less an old friend of Sonic's more than mine."

"Shadow and I didn't quite know each other. We knew of each other," Amy said as Eloise linked elbows with her and led the two towards the house. "I lost my job in New York and moved down here—thanks to Sonic."

"Oh, how sweet. I hope Shadow's being kind." Eloise opened the door and the warm air hit Amy like a cozy blanket wrapping around her. "I try to teach all of my boys to be a gentleman."

Amy smirked at Shadow. The bolshie male only rolled his eyes at her humorous gaze. "Yes, he's been quite a gentleman, ma'am."

"Elisa!" Eloise called throughout the house. She turned to face the two Mobians. "I heard Sonic and Sarah are finally getting hitched."

"As I've heard your daughter is as well," Shadow calmly noted, "Same man from the Thanksgiving dinner?"

"Same one," Eloise gave a heavy sigh. "Frank isn't sure what to think of him, but Greg is nice. Truly. Elisa's so happy. She's come back home to plan the wedding and help on the farm grounds. It's in June—you'll be able to make it, won't you?"

"Of course, Eloise."

Amy watched with something akin to adoration. It was simply too cute that Shadow the Hedgehog was being so kind to a nice old lady. The rose flower figured she could die happily now.

Steps thudded down the stairs. "Oh, my word! Is that Shadow?!"

Shadow was glomped instantly by the rather tall human. Elisa had gained her father's height. All Amy could see was the dark auburn hair that was more of a mess than her quills. Elisa pulled away, smiling like a fool until her eyes hit Amy. The woman stopped short and then gazed at Shadow with a sly look.

"My, Mister Shadow. We can't seem to nab you the right woman, and here you show up with a fine catch. However did you manage to get someone as beautiful as her?"

Amy blushed as Shadow seemed to wave Elisa's comment off with a scoff. "She's an old friend of Sonic's. She's living with me now."

"Whoa, boy," Elisa said in her twang accent. "Movin' a bit fast, eh?"

" _Elisa_ ," her mother warned her. "Why don't we actually welcome our guests in before pestering them with questions, hm?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Without another moment to lose, Elisa shoved the pair to the couches as she raced to the kitchen and returned with glasses of water in a matter of minutes.

Shadow noticed Amy's questioning look as she took the glass from Elisa. "Just go with it."

"Right," Amy grinned softly. Elisa plopped down across from them while Eloise sat down like a normal, sane person. It was clear to the pink hedgehog that Elisa was…different. She wasn't sure what to think just yet. "Amy Rose. I fought alongside Sonic and the other heroes."

"Seen a thing or two in your life then, huh?" Elisa crossed her legs comfortably. "Blood and guts?" She excitedly pestered.

Shadow cleared his throat and gave the young woman a glare. "War isn't fun and games or a memory always cherished, Elisa."

"Sorry," Elisa apologized as she leaned back. "I talk a little faster than I think, Miss Rose."

"Please, it's just Amy."

"Alright, Just Amy. What the heck are you doing way out here in the boonies?" Elisa propped herself up with her elbows on her knees, changing position frequently. Eloise remained laidback with knees crossed.

"I lost my job in New York. I came here thanks to Sonic and Shadow letting me live with them. I work for Shadow as a way to pay for rent right now."

The two humans gave each other a look that Amy couldn't decipher. Shadow seemed so relaxed in the environment, but Amy was rather timid and uncomfortable.

Especially when the door suddenly opened and closed.

"Pa! Look who's here!"

"I know Shadow's truck when I see it, Elisa," an older man chuckled warmly at his daughter. Frank Wilson turned to their guests. "Shadow, who's the lady?"

"Amy Rose. Old friend—she's living with me for now."

Frank seemed to pause at the mention of that. He took off his gloves, looking at the leather as he spoke. "Aren't Sarah and Sonic getting married soon?"

"In May, yes."

Amy didn't like the way all three humans acted upon hearing she lived with Shadow. She tried to hold her head high, but it wasn't easy—especially since Shadow spoke so warily, as if he knew where the conversation might lead to next.

"I just remembered, I have a pie in the oven," Eloise stood and gave Amy a small smile. "Would you like to help, Amy?"

She wanted to say no, but Amy knew she was supposed to go with Eloise. And so she did, along with Elisa. For once, the chatterbox was quiet as she brought up the rear. Amy shivered in intimidation as the door to the kitchen closed and Eloise twisted suddenly to face Amy.

"Mrs. Wilson—"

Eloise held up her finger. She remained this way until the front door closed. Elisa peeked through the closed kitchen door before turning to her mother. "Pa took him outside, Ma."

Amy swallowed deeply as Eloise seemed to stare her down. "I don't quite—"

"It's nothing at all, Miss Rose. We'd just like to know something. Some folks around here don't take to the idea of a man living with a woman by themselves without marriage. Now I can fully understand whatever decision you and Shadow have made while Sarah and Sonic are about to move out, but—"

"Oh, no!" Amy waved her hands. "Shadow and I aren't together, Mrs. Wilson. In fact, we've gotten into more arguments than normal conversations. We've just recently made up, but honestly how long will that last?" She snorted in amusement to herself as Eloise and Elisa became quiet. "There is nothing intimate going on between us, if that's what you were thinking. And I know it might be weird for some people around here, but I truly am just living with him—nothing else."

They seemed to think this through, but finally, Eloise nodded. "Good." She sighed in relief. "I thought Shadow had finally dived off the deep end. Poor fellow. So wrongly treated, we didn't want him to be using you or vice versa."

"Yeah, we really like Shadow," Elisa said as she sat on top of the counter. "We tried gettin' him together with several women before."

"I know," Amy snipped quickly. She tried to stop herself before more words came out, but it was too late. "I heard about them."

Eloise gave Elisa a small smile with a knowing look. She stared back at Amy as she went to the oven. Amy watched as she grabbed mittens and took the actual pie out that indeed existed. "You don't like Shadow, do you?"

"What? No," Amy didn't miss a beat.

"Hey, Mama, you hear that?" Elisa spoke so seriously that Amy actually fell for it. "I think I heard denial."

The rose hedgehog frowned as she crossed her arms and leaned against the table in the middle of the large kitchen. It was definitely more spacious than Shadow's at home. It gave her all the more room to hide the blush she sported so suddenly.

But instead of making up some excuse, Amy said something she never thought she'd hear herself say about Shadow and her feelings: the truth.

"He has some…nice qualities. I guess."

Elisa chortled. "He's fine lookin', ain't he? Most of the women we set him up with turned away—like you must know," she teased. "But others claimed he was _quite_ a looker."

Amy's quills frizzled a little—even Elisa and Eloise saw it—but she figured it was an animal thing. She shook her head to deny anything that was happening. "He's nice when he's not being a jerk."

"Most people are, Hun."

"And sure, Shadow's _a looker_ ," she mocked Elisa. "And frankly he's more financially stable than me right now, and he can actually take care of himself, but that doesn't mean in that slightest that I'm attracted to him or envy him."

"Mhm," Elisa hummed with the largest smirk Amy had ever witnessed, and it drove her nuts, "Hey, Mama?"

"Yes, dear?" Eloise pretended to be absorbed with the pie.

Elisa watched as Amy looked to be on the edge of dying of embarrassment. "If I didn't know any better, I would think our guest here has a small crush on Shadow."

"Shadow?" Eloise continued to act.

Amy mentally groaned.

 _When I thought about meeting the Wilson's, I didn't think they'd join in on matchmaking Shadow and I together! It's not going to work._

Still, what she said rang some loud truth, and it kept repeating in her mind.

 _How bad can Shadow be? I mean, we technically called a truce last night. But that doesn't mean I want to live permanently with him and be his wife._

Just the idea would have sent her hurling, but strangely not this time. Instead, Amy felt something flutter within her stomach at the thought.

She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not, however.

"Yes, Shadow." Elisa continued, "Now, I'mma thinkin', Mama."

"What are you thinking, sweetie?"

"We've been up and down this valley—out of state once or twice—trying to find our good fella, Shadow, a suitable lady to settle down with."

"No, no, no," Amy quickly spoke as she rushed for the exit. Elisa blocked her way easily. It didn't help that the woman was taller and Amy had to look up at her.

"Yes, yes, yes. Shadow needs a companion on the farm, and bachelor life is such a _bore_ after so long. I'mma thinkin', Mama," Elisa grinned at her mother, who wasn't looking, as she wrapped her arm around Amy's shoulder and walked to the oven.

Eloise hummed in concentration as she set the pie to cool. "What's that, pumpkin?"

Amy was practically thrown into the older woman's arms, now trapped between the two in a hug. Elisa squished her harder in the hug than Amy ever could. She couldn't focus on that now though; she was being crushed against the two that had locked arms with one another.

"What if we set Just Amy up with Shadow?" Elisa raised a playful eyebrow.

Eloise pursed her lips in thought. Amy caught a little air as the two made room. She couldn't get out between them though.

"That could work."

"No," Amy whispered in fright as she stared at the two scheming humans.

Now she understood what Shadow had meant about watching out for Elisa. If only Amy had heeded the advice seriously.

She might have beaten Elisa to the door.

* * *

Shadow wasn't quite intimated by Frank Wilson—he only had to remind himself to be kind to the man who had helped him set up his life in the valley.

It wasn't a hard thing to do—be nice that is. Frank was one of the nicest people in the valley besides his wife, but Shadow couldn't help but quiver his quills when Frank took him outside the house. He wasn't sure if he was trying to avoid the conversation with Frank, or if he was slightly concerned for Amy's wellbeing.

 _I did leave her with Eloise and Elisa after all._

He shook the thought.

 _What could go wrong? Those two will welcome her with open arms if they welcomed me of all people._

So, the bolshie hedgehog followed Frank down the driveway. Frank leaned up against Shadow's pickup truck, tugging at his cowboy hat that hid his salt and pepper hair.

"I think you know what I'm going to say."

Shadow leaned against the other side of the pickup truck—staring at the old man who chose to look at the scenery instead. "I understand you and your family have morals about this kind of thing, Frank, but it's not entirely what you think. Amy sleeps on the couch."

"I've been there once or twice," Frank chortled to himself mainly.

Frowning, Shadow tried to think of the right words. Talking to Frank was a slow process, as Shadow didn't want to say the wrong thing to the one person that had spoken to him at the gas station four years ago.

"I guess that's not entirely the truth," Shadow mumbled as he thought of the previous nights. "But she only lives with me, Frank. Nothing intimate of the sorts has occurred."

"Yet."

"Frank," Shadow warned in a slight growl. He didn't like it when he accidentally snapped at the man, but this time Frank was practically insinuating Amy was desperate and easy. And knowing her entire past didn't make the situation easier to talk about with Frank. "The chances of Amy and I ever being anything but acquaintances are slim to none. She pays rent by helping me on the farm."

"You do realize," Frank nearly cut him off as he stared at the rust on the pickup, "that you can't keep this up forever, Shadow."

The old man walked away from the pickup, pushing against it to give him a slight boost to the barn outside the house. It needed some new paint, but overall the barn had done the family a good service for years. He stared at it, expecting Shadow to follow him.

Instead, he got a low snarl. But Frank wasn't surprised.

"Say what you want, Shadow, but bachelor life isn't always the road meant for people like you," he glanced at the male over his shoulder.

"You hardly know a thing about me, Frank."

"And yet I probably know more about you than you know about yourself." Frank twisted to the barn and meandered towards it with Shadow following behind him this time. "And so does the girl, I bet."

"Don't act like she's going to wiggle into my heart," Shadow snorted in disgust. Just the idea made him cringe. " _People like me_ have walls for a reason."

"For people like Amy to knock them down, climb over them, go under them—somehow find a way in. Try and tell me she isn't the optimistic type."

Shadow hated to agree with Frank, but the old man was right. The ebony hedgehog sighed and kept up with his pace before standing alongside him. Frank stared at the barn doors.

They stood like that for a long time, staring at the structure.

"She's too good to be in a place like this," Shadow murmured finally. "I'm not confessing anything, Frank, but she's good company to be around for the most part. But she doesn't belong here."

"Neither did you at first. But there were still some people in this valley, around town, that saw you as something you weren't," Frank assured as he broke his gaze from the barn and looked at Shadow with a warmth in his eyes. "Standing in a crowd takes far less than standing by yourself—and you've done it for ten years, Shadow. You finally found your place in this valley. Who's to say Amy can't fit in?"

"She deserves better than a simple, quiet life on a farm."

Frank clasped Shadow's shoulder. "Remember, it's not up to you where she decides to go and what she decides to do with her life."

The old man opened the barn doors and entered the building. Shadow clenched his hand into a fist at the thought of Amy going back to New York and having to strip in a club or sleep with her apartment owner.

 _It might not be my decision, but she's too lost to make a rational decision as it is. Someone might as well help her._

And since he was the only one who knew about her secrets, he figured it was him. Oh, joy.

Going after Frank, Shadow sighed. "Maybe not, but she obviously needs help in figuring that part out."

"And perhaps things will change by the time Sarah and Sonic are married," Frank said just as quickly as Shadow had finished his sentence. "Think for a moment, Shadow. Does settling down sound so bad to you that you'll ignore every date we set you up with?"

"Those women weren't particularly interested most of the time…"

"I reckon you assume it's because of your past," the old man scoffed as he grabbed a straw bale. Shadow quickly helped him and grabbed it instead.

"Yes."

Frank grunted motioned over to the horses that nickered. "They need some new bedding put down."

"Yes, sir." Shadow wasted no time, doing the job as Frank had once showed him in record timing. While doing so, Frank observed with a keen eye.

"Then who better to settle down with than one who doesn't care about your past?"

Shadow stopped in his work for a moment to glower at Frank. "Don't try and play matchmaker like the rest of these loons, Frank. Don't."

"Amy seems to not care if you killed people. She seems quite lovely in fact—she'd be a wonderful mother."

"You said little to nothing to her and now you act like you know her."

"Stop straying from the conversation at hand, boy."

Shadow continued his work before finishing. He crossed his arms and continued to glare at Frank for one of the first times in his life. "Everyone seems to want both of us together, and I'm struggling to see the compatibility they see."

"Fine. Fine, Shadow."

He was surprised to see a Wilson back of so easily. Raising an eyebrow, Shadow waited for the punch.

But Frank was sincere.

"You do what you want. But if you so much as feel one shred of affection to that girl when things are all said and done, you better be chasing after her when she starts to walk away."

The two were left in silence for a moment before Frank backed up from the corral and pointed.

"You missed a spot."

* * *

The ride back home was silent.

Shadow got to process the words Frank had told him. Amy got to think about Elisa and Eloise – and everyone else that kept trying to play matchmaker.

The rose hedgehog began to contemplate, and perhaps she was started to think a little too deeply. Still, as her eyes never left the scenery passing by through the window, Amy tried to think of more reasons why not to be with Shadow than why it wasn't a bad idea.

She couldn't find much. She couldn't find any after longer evaluation.

 _If everyone decides to play matchmaker for the two of us…maybe it's some sort of sign. How bad can it be? Besides…_

Amy took one glance at Shadow the entire ride back home – and that was this glance.

 _Maybe we just need to open our eyes a bit more. See what the others see._

Leaning her head against the seat, she stared back out the window in thought. Swallowing, Amy closed her eyes as the truck bumped along with the dirt road.

Perhaps it would be best if she slept on it.

Not like Shadow minded. At least there was peace and quiet for him to think – at least she wasn't busy chattering away in his ear. Still, a small part of him tugged towards her and kind of wished Amy had spoken up.

And the longer the drive took, the more both of them thought.

And the more they thought, the more the two came to conclusions.

And the more conclusions that surfaced, the more they worried about some concern.

Shadow had slightly hoped Amy would speak. He figured she would have said something about Eloise and Elisa, but she never did.

Curious to what happened in the house, Shadow decided to question the rose hedgehog later. Most likely, after company arrived, Amy would slink into _his_ bed. A part of him didn't like the crowded space that had once been roomy.

Another part – the slight part that had wished she had spoken, perhaps – seemed to welcome her. That part of Shadow didn't even think about kicking Amy out of his bed.

And it made Shadow worry.

 _What if Frank is right? Eventually…things might change – especially if Amy's here for a while. I got attached to Sonic and Sarah. There's no doubt I'll get attached to Amy._

Red eyes stared at the sleeping flower.

 _But how is the question._

~.~

Amy seemed all too willing to jump out of the truck before it was even in park. Going inside the house, the rose hedgehog disappeared from Shadow's view.

The garage door was open, and Sonic was sorting through a toolbox.

Raising an eyebrow to himself, Shadow got out of the truck after shutting it off. Meandering to Sonic, the ebony male took notice that Sonic seemed more tense than usual. "What are you doing?"

"Putting back some tools," Sonic muttered. "Where were you guys?"

"Meeting the Wilsons."

Sonic paused and made eye contact with Shadow. "How did it go?"

"She only met Eloise, Elisa, and Frank. But everything seemed to go smoothly. From what I gather, the girls talked about something. Amy's been silent."

"Amy didn't talk to you, or what?"

"Not a peep out of her the entire ride home."

Humming, Sonic closed the toolbox. "That's a little strange for Amy."

Shadow agreed and leaned against the metal table that was littered with tools and other knick-knacks. Still sensing that something was wrong with the blue blur, Shadow questioned Sonic. "What about you?"

"We got the pictures hung up." There was a harsh tone laced in his voice that Shadow noticed.

"Get into another argument?"

Sonic folded his arms. "Slightly, yes. This time about my brother."

"Manic?"

"Yes."

"What about him?" Shadow shrugged. He had heard of Manic before – but Sonic's little brother had never visited apparently. So, why did Manic suddenly come up in conversation? Shadow had a sneaking suspicion, and he knew if it was true, he wasn't going to like it.

"Manic and his girlfriend are invited to the wedding," Sonic confessed. "They'll be here the same time Silver and Blaze. The four are meeting up – it was all planned by Sarah."

Shadow could only stare at Sonic for a moment before responding.

"Well, this should be exciting."

* * *

Waiting that night dreadfully, Amy watched the television screen. Her eyes were tired as she slunk down in the couch further and further. Butch lied at her feet and kept her warm – which only made her more tired.

It didn't help that she had to stay awake until Silver and Blaze – and apparently Manic and his girlfriend – arrived. And it also didn't help that Shadow was sitting beside her on the loveseat. Sarah and Sonic occupied the three-seater couch, although for once they didn't seem in the cuddling mood. Amy noticed how far apart they were and remembered what Sarah said while the two had made dinner that night.

 _They'd gotten in an argument of sorts…_ Amy thought tiredly. _I hope another argument isn't surfacing. Yelling is the last thing anyone in this house needs right now._

Glancing over at Shadow, Amy could see how sleepy the Ultimate Life Form looked. Everyone in the room was tired – and it wasn't even too terribly late.

 _Just a little longer and they'll be here._

Amy bit her lip as she tugged the blanket around her more.

Fear resided in her at the moment, as well as dread, and simply because she was embarrassed. She didn't want to look Silver and Blaze in the eye for the first time in months and know that they were present during Shadow's little outburst.

 _But everyone apologize and it should be good._ She looked over at Shadow again. His eyelids were shut, but Amy figured he could probably tell someone was staring at him. He peeked open an eye and looked at her grumpily – confirming her guess.

"You don't have to stay up, you know." Her quiet voice broke through the television's sound. "I can greet them. You have animals to feed tomorrow morning."

"As do you."

Amy turned to face him and yawned. "Still…"

The dog at her feet suddenly sat up and huffed, his ears perked. A low growl erupted from him and he bounded towards the door, barking like mad.

Shadow scoffed, "Doesn't matter if we were asleep or not. That dog could wake up the whole valley if he wanted to."

Amy wasn't quite listening anymore as she hurried to the door with the other three in tow. Sonic was more sluggish than usual. Shadow was right behind Amy. Sarah slightly glared at her fiancé as he took a seat on the soft couches in the family room. He ignored her look, however, as Amy opened the door.

Butch was outside in a flash, growling and barking as he raced towards the car that had pulled up.

Shadow stood behind Amy and gripped the doorway, ready to call back the ballistic mutt. As he opened his mouth, someone else beat him to it.

"Oh, look a puppy!"

Amy's laughter was soft and sweet. Shadow glanced quickly down at her before peering further out and looking where she was looking.

Outside, Silver the Hedgehog stood by the passenger door. Blaze and Manic were opening the trunk and getting suitcases, no doubt, as another female hedgehog chose to stand beside Silver.

"Silver, he doesn't look friendly," the blonde hedgehog whispered. She had bronze, amber eyes that looked at Butch with fear. Her messy braid proved difficult for Amy to see what else she looked like, but the rose female could eventually see some silver streaks in the quills.

"Nonsense, Sunny. He wants to give me a hug," Silver patted his knees at the barking dog. "C'mhere, puppy!"

Shadow watched the scene unfold as he leaned in to whisper in Amy's ear, "Your friend seems to be a little delusional."

"Silver's just being…Silver," Amy sighed.

Sarah pushed through, muttering, "Jesus, can you call off the dog, Shadow?" Instead, the female took it into her own hands as she stood out on the porch with her hands on her hips. "Butch!"

"Oh, no," Silver whispered to Sunny. "The cavalry's arrived."

By this time, Sonic had pushed himself up off the couch and stood behind Amy and beside Shadow. The trio watched as Sarah kept her hands at her hips and glared down the white hedgehog in the driveway.

Blaze shut the trunk and rolled the suitcase while carrying a duffle bag. "Silver, don't provoke her."

He only huffed under his breath as he grabbed the duffle bag from her. Putting the strap over his shoulder, Silver made his way across the lawn – where Butch patiently lied down. The dog seemed to be busy deciding whether or not to bark at the newcomers anymore. Instead, light growls left the dog on the grass.

"Hi," Blaze called out softly as she led the other three up the sidewalk and onto the porch. "Sorry if we seem a bit more awake than usual. Despite the time changes, we got plenty of rest."

"That and I handle jetlag _extremely_ well," Silver stepped on his girlfriend's heels while Manic led the back rather slowly.

Amy laughed and caught the feline in a hug before Silver joined in. Shadow watched the three for a moment as Sarah squeezed back inside. Sonic seemed to reach to her hand for a moment, questioning where she was going through the look in his eyes. Sarah brushed against Sonic's side and stood close to him as the two looked from the guests to Shadow. The black hedgehog hadn't spoken a word.

Finally, he cleared his throat. "The flight went well?"

"A pushy flight attendant, not enough snacks, and an annoying pilot that tried to play the turbulence off as hilarious – yeah, everything went pretty normal," Silver stood before the three. He stared at each one for a moment before grinning. "It's definitely different air out here. Feels nice. I can see why you stay here."

Blaze walked up behind Silver, her hand on his shoulder. "And such a lovely welcoming dog, too," she teased lightly as her tail twitched.

Sarah offered them a warm smile. "We're sorry in advance if the couches aren't good beds, but it's not exactly a house with guest bedrooms."

"No need to apologize," Silver said as Shadow moved to the side and let the guests inside.

Blaze went first, followed by Silver, and then Amy, and then Sunny. Manic was last and seemed to nod slightly to Sonic and Sarah. The four set their bags down and Amy sat down on the comfy couch while Shadow shut the front door – Butch barely got back inside before his tail was caught in the door.

The white hedgehog overlooked his surroundings. "Cozy. Nice little farm house, eh?"

"Yeah," Amy hugged the pillow on the couch. "The dog curls up and keeps you warm – so that's a plus."

"After the barking, I doubt he'll curl up to me anytime soon," Silver scoffed as he looked back at Butch. The dog huffed, as if understanding they were talking about him. "But it's a nice house. You get it built, Shadow?"

The ebony male wasn't normally fond of having strangers parade around his house. But frankly, he apparently knew them. Or once did. Silver and Blaze were vague in his mind. Perhaps in some lonely memory of Mobius, they were there – but he didn't recall it.

And then there was Sunny, who was new. But her presence wasn't annoying Shadow. It might've been because it was just Silver in general that seemed to rub Shadow the wrong way, but Sunny wasn't a problem – despite her being the one he knew the least about. She stood in her spot and stared at her host, probably wondering which couch was hers. She did look more tired than any of them.

Last but not least, there was Manic.

The green hedgehog stayed to himself it seemed. His mouth was kept shut and he had only met eye contact with his brother once. For now, Shadow noticed Manic was ambling away from Sonic. Shadow figured it would be for the best.

"No," Shadow finally responded Silver after observing his new houseguests. He walked towards the couches Amy sat at and motioned to them. "There are these two couches here – softest out of anything in this house. There are the couches in the living room. And if you get desperate for space," his eyes seemed to wander to Manic the most, "then there are couches downstairs."

"I take this couch," Silver threw his bag at Amy. "So, shoo."

Amy scoffed as she caught the bag and set it to the side. "How harsh," she pretended to be hurt. Silver merely ruffled her quills, much to her dislike.

Shadow watched the scene and felt his eye twitch. Blinking, he looked away. Blaze caught his eye as she seemed to want to say something. Her tail kept flicking back and forth.

"Yes?" His smooth voice broke the silence as his emotionless gaze settled in on the feline.

He didn't remember anything about Blaze, but she seemed to be as guarded as him. Reserved and proper-like, Blaze held herself high and didn't flinch when Shadow let a little annoyed tone slip out in his question.

Instead, she surprisingly turned to Amy. "Which couch is yours, Amy? Even though I love Silver greatly," she exasperatedly said, "I must say I'm dying to catch up with you."

Amy's smile faltered as she softly pushed Silver's teasing motions away. The white hedgehog had still been trying to ruffling her quills even more, but after her gesture, he stopped and looked back at Blaze with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh," Amy found herself lost for once.

Sonic tried to hide the small smirk he sported, but after even _seeing_ his brother, there was something deep within him that wanted out. A little menace and sarcasm maybe – a deadly toxic mix that would surely lead to an argument. But did the retired hero see it? Maybe. Did he care? Probably not. Was he going to hold himself back from saying something he'd later regret? Nope.

"Oh, Amy doesn't sleep on a couch."

Amy's blush was evident as she bit her lip. Blaze raised an eyebrow this time and looked at Sonic. She failed to notice Shadow's fists curling. "What?"

Sarah saw the darker look in Sonic's eyes and immediately stepped in. "She—"

"She has other arrangements—"

Amy, who was dealing with Silver pestering her, shot a quick look between Sonic and Sarah. The warning look Sarah was giving Sonic made Amy a little wary of what could possibly happen next. The rose hedgehog looked as Sonic gripped Sarah's wrist in a warning to pipe down.

"Sonic, shut the hell up."

Everyone turned their heads to Shadow. The ebony male growled out the words as his eyes narrowed in dangerous slits. Red eyes glanced between the tight wrist hold Sonic had on Sarah. Shadow stepped towards them – letting a little snarl out again.

"What?" Sonic huffed out as he matched Shadow's movement, setting himself up in front of Sarah. His instincts didn't like the growl Shadow was giving. Something in him snapped from being angry about his brother to being protective of his fiancée – who was technically already his mate. But, Sonic had never felt this sudden urge before – especially if it was just Shadow being moody.

"Boys, knock it off," Sarah muttered and worked her way between the two, getting out of Sonic's grip.

"Uh, did we miss something here?"

They turned to look at Silver. He cautiously stood beside Blaze now while Manic stood beside Sunny not too far away. The four guests stared at their hosts in question.

"Well-"

Amy joined in on the sudden stuttering of Shadow, Sonic, and Sarah combined. Shadow was more or less mumbling while Sonic realized the words he had said about where Amy slept. While the blue hero tried to finish sentences, Sarah tried getting anything coherent out of her mouth. Amy looked like a blushing fool that didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room.

"Hold it," Blaze stood before them with her hand up to silence all four. Silence filled the space between everyone. "Amy, are you _sleeping with Shadow?"_

"No!" Amy answered a little too quickly. "I mean, of course not. We're not sleeping together," the rose hedgehog motioned between her and Shadow. She now stood closer to them, getting up off the couch during their stuttering mess. "I'm sleeping _beside_ Shadow. I'm not sleeping _with_ Shadow."

Silver gaped as he stood behind Blaze. He leaned into his girlfriend's ear and whispered loud enough for everyone to still hear him. "I have a very disturbing image engraved in my mind now."

At that point, _everyone_ was involved in the cringing or the not-so-happy faces.

"Alright, well…" Manic spoke for once. "It's been a long day for all of us, I'm sure. Sunny, where are you sleeping at?"

The two dawdled into the living room with their bags in tow. Sonic stood awkwardly beside Sarah, giving her an apologetic look as she glowered. Blaze and Silver stood like statues.

"Amy, why on Earth would you be sleeping with Shadow?"

"Beside."

"I don't mean it in the intimate way, Amy." The feline rolled her eyes. "But there are, what, six couches available in this house?"

"I slept on the couch most of the time," Amy tried to reason. "And then I just…Um…" She squinted as she tried to think about _how_ she started this whole thing of sleeping in Shadow's bed. "Well, the dog took my spot on the couch and I decided I didn't want to sleep on the couch anymore…or something."

Before Blaze could reprimand Amy, Silver was there to save the day. He moved forward and grabbed Blaze's hand. "Look, they're just sleeping _beside_ one another. It's not gonna do them any harm, now is it, Blazey Wazey?"

"Don't call me that."

"And besides, think of this as some friendly, PG rated bonding time between them after all the arguments and such." Silver cringed to his own words after saying them. "You really can't make this stuff sound _not_ intimate."

Shadow rolled his eyes and grit his teeth. "That's _enough._ The nuisance climbs into my bed and I'm too tired to kick her out." He walked towards the living room, but not without looking back at them one more time. "Besides, last night she had a nightmare."

The five watched as the dark hedgehog left for his bed. Amy rubbed her arm anxiously. "We can talk more over breakfast, Blaze. But right now, we're more tired than you." She took a glance at Sonic and thought of Manic. "And it's not the best thing to have a tired, grumpy person in the room. So, let's just go to bed and we'll talk in the morning, hm?"

Crossing her arms, Blaze shook her head softly. "I don't like it. I don't like any of this, Amy. A part of me still believes you should have never come here." Amber eyes glanced up at Sonic and she softly grinned. "But it's nice to see familiar faces."

Amy hugged her friend one more time before calling it a night.

She let Blaze and Silver whisper over things as they set up their bed on the couches and got comfortable. Manic and Sunny were in the living room, tuckered out. Sonic and Sarah made their way through the living room. Sonic let Sarah go in first to their bedroom as he took the pause to turn and catch Manic's stare. The blue male clenched his jaw before entering the room – aware that the one he was sleeping beside wasn't happy with him at the moment.

As for Amy, she disappeared down the hall after saying goodnight and went into Shadow's room – where she found him unbuttoning his shirt.

Amy didn't seem to mind all too much though, as she didn't bother to look away. Maybe it was her conversation earlier with the Wilson women, or maybe it was just because she had other things on her mind.

"Something tells me having Sonic and Manic under the same roof won't be a pretty sight."

Shadow agreed in a huff and threw his shirt in the hamper. He turned to look at Amy – Frank Wilson's words circling his mind still. "Let me handle those two, Rose. You just get some sleep."

Amy offered him a small grin before settling down under the covers and curling up. It wasn't long before she felt more weight in the bed. Shadow turned the opposite way of her after turning off the lamp on his side.

"I've got a fence to put up tomorrow, anyhow. I'll need plenty of help with that."

Amy bit her lip and brought up the covers even more – as if to hide something that she had done wrong and knew she'd get in trouble for it.

It probably wasn't the best time to tell Shadow she planned to hopefully see Cream tomorrow since Silver had arrived.

And that Tails was her designated driver.


	20. The Dream

**STH © SEGA/Archie**

 **Sarah & Wilson Family © Cozy Shadow **

**Flame, Petunia, Jeffery, and Sunny © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _Check out my poll! :D Please vote if you haven't already!_

 _I had to split this chapter up because it was going to be way too long, so I apologize in advance if it seems like an odd place to end. Also, I could not think of a chapter title name. XD But I have missed writing to this story. This chapter has been like this for a few weeks until I decided to do something with it. Sorry for any mistakes, but I am only human. :)_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty:**

 **The Dream**

The thunder awoke Sarah.

She watched as the lightning illuminated the room for a split second and another boom of thunder came about. Brown eyes relaxed and tiredly looked at the alarm clock that read 5:53 a.m.

 _I hope the others aren't awake or scared._

Sarah could recall Tails' phobia of lightning, but she herself could fall asleep to it. That was if it didn't shake the house – only then would she get concerned.

Soft lips kissed her shoulder and she became aware of the life form cuddling up to her.

 _No wonder why I'm warm._

Sonic shared his heat, as Sarah was normally freezing and Sonic was normally warm to the touch. His nose twitched as he put a good amount of weight in the crook of her neck and shoulder. His ear moved with the thunder, skimming against Sarah's cheek, closer to her eye. Twisting, Sarah turned towards him and stared with a soft look.

Green eyes barely looked back. Sonic avoided looking at her, although he showed signs of being apologetic. Sarah sighed and nuzzled into his cheek before turning towards him. Sonic moved on to his back as she rested on his chest, purring.

"It's not your fault."

"It was uncalled for…" he murmured.

Sonic's arms tightened around her. His lips grazed against her forehead as another flash of lightning lit up the room. The thunder was louder now and constantly going about. He stared up at the ceiling. "It's right over us," Sonic whispered and thought about the newcomers. "I wonder if anyone's getting any sleep."

Sarah only hummed in response. He lightly smiled, knowing the sound lulled her to sleep somehow. Sonic never quite understood everything about his fiancée.

"It's a Monday," he teased, to which she growled at. "You've got to get up eventually."

"Forty-five more minutes," Sarah whined, curling up towards his longer frame. Her nose poked out as she continued to burry herself in the blankets between them. Snorting, she evidently wasn't moving any time soon.

Sonic looked at the window curtains. Lightning showed the calm expression on his face as he turned towards the door. "I wonder if Shadow got up to feed the animals."

"You and I both know he sleeps in when it's raining this much. Besides, I think the guy's a little scared of lightning himself."

Despite her tease, Sonic wasn't laughing. "He gets a little timid. Just like at the dentist's office. I suppose being mortal does that. The world shows you all of these new fears you never knew you had."

Sarah popped up out of the blankets with a raised eyebrow. "Did it not rain wherever he went?"

"Remember, he lived on the ARK."

"Yes, but Mobius had thunderstorms as well, and if I recall he's been to both Earth and Mobius," Sarah responded as she lied back down.

Sonic shrugged, or tried to, as he found himself drifting off to sleep with the pitter patter of raindrops outside. "I don't know, Sarah. Some people don't like the sounds of thunder. It might scare them or make their ears hurt. In Shadow's case, I think it just catches him off guard sometimes."

She scoffed against him. "The Ultimate Life Form is afraid of a little thunder and lightning."

"Well, I bet he's not falling asleep to it like you are right now."

Sarah hummed again in response, turning her chin to rest more on his chest. "The guy's surprised when the toast pops up in the toaster. I'm sure he's wide awake now."

~.~

The lime green hedgehog was never more right.

Shadow looked at the curtains, hoping the rain would soon pass. He was lying on his left side, trying to ignore the breathing right next to his ear. Green eyes stared at the curtains.

"It sure sounds like a party out there," Amy whispered. She took a glimpse at Shadow. "Too bad we weren't invited, huh?"

He gave her a look one would give a crazy person. "What?"

"Never mind."

The two lied in peace and quiet for a while. Shadow felt the weight on his shoulder increase as he continued to stare at the curtains – waiting for the lightning to illuminate the room again and again. The storm never ceased, it seemed. Which made him all the more reluctant to get out of bed and feed animals.

But it was a task that needed to be done.

"What time is it?"

Amy groaned and rolled over to look at the clock. "A little past six. Why?"

It was a sigh that caught her attention. As if Shadow was deciding on something.

Amy raised an eyebrow and rolled back over to him, grasping his shoulder. The scenario left her mentally blushing – she sometimes forgot they were in the same bed as one another. This particular moment made her feel as if they were romantically together.

Shadow was calm under her touch and Amy was calm upon touching him.

The tingles she had felt the first time she had touched him were quickly becoming hard to feel. She sort of missed the sensation. But it was also comforting to know the sparks were probably just her imagination. That, or Amy had touched Shadow's arm so much in the past few days that she had gotten used to the feeling that it was practically nothing anymore.

"Shadow?"

The male snorted and sat up as his quills shook in response to her. Amy sunk back into the bed. The look he gave her was enough indication that she wasn't going to join him in the chores this morning. The rose hedgehog was going to protest, but another sound of thunder and another flash of lightning stopped her.

 _On second thought…_ Amy curled up to the blanket and watched Shadow stand. _I think I'll enjoy sleeping in for once. Before we leave, that is._

The thought of seeing Cream hit her. Silver had arrived, and Amy wasn't going to wait any longer to catch up with the rabbit. Whether Tails wanted to or not, they were going to see her today. And whether Sonic or Shadow were angry or not, Tails was going with them.

 _I just hope breakfast will past by smoothly._

Shadow left his bedroom within minutes of getting changed. Amy had luckily been in such deep thought that she hadn't noticed the male was changing. Not that either of them cared – they were both too tired and caught up in their own thoughts.

Amy rested her head on the pillow, pulling Shadow's closer to lean her cheek on it. The blankets seemed to wrap around her in greeting.

The lightning never fazed her.

* * *

Something was completely different that morning.

Amy wasn't quite sure what it was, but she was thinking about placing the blame on the fact that she was still embarrassed in front of Silver and Blaze. The two were strangely quiet, and Amy wasn't sure what she was more embarrassed about: being yelled at by Shadow in front of them or sleeping in the same bed as Shadow.

 _It's not like it should affect me so much. I'm a grown woman, goddamnit._ She sighed. _And yet, here I am. Using Shadow as a leaning post if not sleeping on top of him._

She had already texted Tails her decision to see Cream. Tails reminded her of their agreement, but Amy responded that she would read the book on the drive to Cream. Tails couldn't argue with her from there. He agreed to drop by around eight.

It was seven by the time the household was up and moving.

The four newcomers were obviously a little tired and still getting adjusted to the strange setting around them. But they were managing.

However, things took a turn for the worst at breakfast.

Amy was poking at her food, seated between Shadow and Sunny. Manic was squished in beside her and Sarah was at the other end of the table. Then there was Sonic, Silver, and Blaze. Shadow was, of course, at his seat.

It was silent. All anyone could hear were the clanks of forks and knives against plates.

It was annoying.

The pink female gritted her teeth, begging silently for someone to speak up. Thankfully, someone did.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" Sunny's soft voice cut through the room.

Sonic cleared his throat. "Well, Sarah and I go to work."

"Where do you work?" Silver scoffed. "I've known you for a hell of a long time, Sonic, and I've never seen you work a day in your life."

"No, only fighting villains," Sonic retorted. He took another bite of the pancakes that were served to them thanks to Sarah. "I work at a parts store. It's rather boring. Sarah teaches at the elementary."

"Oh?" Blaze raised an eyebrow. "How's that?"

"They're little kids, so, you know." Sarah shrugged as she took a sip of her orange juice. "Not much teaching."

"Arts and crafts?" Manic teased her. "That's good, actually. Not many schools are funding the arts as much as I'd preferred."

"I agree," Sarah said as she rested her elbows on the table. "How's the graphic arts career?"

"You know – digital," Manic shrugged in somewhat distaste. "I'm mostly assigned to the magazine cover with a team, but it doesn't beat traditional art if you ask me."

"Not really art if you're just cropping and masking pictures," his girlfriend joked. Manic rolled his eyes in response.

"So…Shadow, what do you do exactly?" Manic brought back the conversation after a few seconds.

The ebony hedgehog had been silent until now. He had eaten most of his food and sat there, contemplating his response for quite some time. "I take care of the farmland and animals."

"Sunny was raised on a farm."

"Hmph."

Sunny laughed at her boyfriend and also Shadow's unimpressed sound. "It was a long time ago, and we certainly didn't have the same technology we have here on Earth. But, I was a country girl for the majority of my life, believe it or not."

"Well, maybe you can teach Amy here how to use a pitchfork," Shadow retorted sarcastically, although it wasn't a bad idea. "She broke mine."

Silver chortled as Amy glared. "Why don't you tell the whole town?" she hissed at the male.

"Oh, I did." Shadow leaned over as the household got to watch them bicker like a married couple. "You see, I told Frank Wilson when we went to visit him. In turn, he told his wife who told his daughter – and you met Elisa. You can imagine that Elisa called me up to chit chat and ask if it were true. And I don't normally lie, so I told her it was. And now she's probably told the entire town."

"Ooh, I hate you," Amy whispered. She went back to her food before raising any eyebrow at Shadow. "You _chit chat_ with Elisa Wilson?"

"I normally just answer her calls and let her talk," Shadow shrugged. "She struggled with depression to the point of going to an institute for help. There's a reason she loves to talk so much – it gives people the chance to listen. Which in turn makes her feel a little bit better in this world. She's a lonely chatterbox."

Amy softly smiled. "Look at you, Mister Ultimate Life Form." Her expression turned rather serious, however. "She dealt with depression?"

"For some time, yeah," Sonic broke into the conversation. "Wasn't ever suicidal, thank God. But she was definitely unhappy. She'd leave for days and never say where she was. Frank and Eloise were always so worried. They finally decided to get her some help the next time she visited. Fortunately, she agreed to go."

"And she's never been better," Sarah stated. "Hell, she's getting married."

"Yes, Eloise seemed to talk Shadow into going without having to bribe him," Amy slyly grinned at the hedgehog. Shadow only waved her off slightly. "At least Elisa's happy."

The rose hedgehog glanced to her friends across the table. Blaze's expression was unclear whereas Silver smiled lightly at Amy. Turning to Sunny, she caught Manic's look first. He seemed dazed and thinking for a moment.

As soon as Amy opened her mouth to say something else, Manic beat her to it.

"How's Mom?"

It was the longest silence yet that Amy had ever experienced.

She got to watch Manic look at his older brother with something akin to fear, but he was also pleading. Sonic, however, turned to glower at Manic. Sarah was giving Shadow a look, who in turn was giving Sonic a warning gaze.

"Well, you would know if you visited. Wouldn't you?" Sonic's glare was cold.

"Oh, you just couldn't help yourself, could you?" Sarah hissed under her breath at her fiancé. "He's your brother for Christ's Sake."

"Yeah, and he should have visited."

"He's an adult, Sonic!" Sarah said exasperatedly. "You can't expect him to drop everything to visit so many times a week or—"

"Look, I know you're helping," Manic suddenly turned to her with a somewhat harsh gaze of his own, "But I don't need you to pitch in. If the asshole doesn't want to respond, fine. I'll go see my mother for myself."

"Don't you ever talk to her like that," Sonic leaned against the table, standing up.

Manic matched him. Although he stood slightly shorter, Manic wasn't backing down anytime soon. "I've dealt with shit, too, Sonic. But it's not like you would care, would you? It's all about Mom."

"How dare you make this about yourself?" Sonic spat, but he also looked hurt. "Mom is in the hospital. She's suffering something that we can't even imagine. And what about Sonia, too, hm? You never visit the kids. You never visit anyone."

Amy watched with wide eyes.

She could feel Shadow's annoyance grow to a boiling point. Sarah remained stoic at the other end of the table while Sunny stared at the two arguing males. Silver and Blaze looked ready to intervene with telekinesis and calming words.

The rose hedgehog just wasn't sure if that would last.

"Guys, let's not fight," Silver droned on in a bored tone. "I don't want to go over two arguments in one day, thank you very much."

That caught Amy's attention. He could only be talking about one thing. The two were best friends; they could speak to each other through their minds occasionally. And she knew exactly what he meant by that.

"What makes you think Cream and I will get into an argument?" Her mouth spoke faster than her brain thought.

"C'mon, Amy," Silver snorted as Sonic and Manic's confrontation ceased. "It's been years. If you've listened to half the things Tails' has said over our texts this morning, you'd realize Cream isn't all too thrilled with you right now."

"Well, woopty doo for her," Amy growled in frustration. "God, she's being so stubborn and immature. All I want to do is see her—"

"You can't expect her to be that same little girl again," Silver scoffed and stood up. "You think people don't change, but they do, Amy. They really do. You need to open your eyes—"

"I need to open my eyes?" She stood up so fast that her chair knocked to the ground. "I know people change, Silver! It's just why does she have to be so impossible?!"

"Wait, you're seeing Cream?" Sonic asked in a very low tone. His eyes were slits at this point as Manic stood there very confused and very much so ignored. "And Tails is involved?"

"Yes! But get over it, Sonic!" Amy answered the blue blur before he could say anything else. "He's eighteen; he can do what he wants."

"You dragged him into this?" Sonic questioned, despite her words, and pointed at Silver. When the white hedgehog motioned to Amy, Sonic snorted at her. "When is shit not gonna be about you, Amy?"

"Excuse me…"

At this point, Sarah was practically mentally screaming at Shadow to do something. He only ignored Sarah's crazy looks at him and instead watched on.

"You heard me. We welcomed you here and then you pull that shit with Shadow?" Sonic growled and pointed at the ebony male. "You have no _clue_ what he's gone through and you come in with the audacity to insult him numerous times? I can't even see a reason to keep you here anymore besides unpaid labor."

"Listen here, you little-"

"And then you bring Tails into the mix to go see Cream? What did Tails say?" the blue hedgehog caught Amy off guard. "Huh, Amy? What did Tails say when you asked him to take you to Cream?"

The hero proved to think as quickly as he could run.

Licking her lips, Amy backed up a step in hesitation. Sonic continued to stare at her with a look that said he couldn't believe he was even friends with her.

"He said no, didn't he? And yet you made him," Sonic's voice cracked. It never cracked. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Everyone around you is like some goddamn slave that you just—"

"That's enough."

As the words calmed down, Shadow finally stood to stop the talking. It was starting to get a little personal – he could tell. The Ultimate Life Form stared at each and every one of the people under his roof.

"Amy?"

She was silent. All she could think about was how hard her heart was pounding in her chest.

"Amy?"

Her ears twitched to Shadow as she shuffled closer to him, lowering her head submissively. Shadow towered over her like usual with his height, making her feel even worse. "Are you really going to see Cream today with Silver and Tails?"

"Yes."

Shadow huffed. "Well, we can't stop you. And if Tails eventually agreed to it, I'm assuming it has to deal with your bet you mentioned earlier."

"Yes."

"Well, then," he stood closely to her, practically touching her. "You wouldn't want to keep him waiting, now would you?"

Red eyes looked throughout the room and everybody was sent back into motion. Sunny was grabbing the plates along with Blaze. Manic was getting out of the way. Sonic and Sarah were headed towards the door to go to work. Amy left to get changed and ready.

All that was left was the white hedgehog. He remained in Shadow's way to the garage door – Shadow's usual escape from situations like this.

Amber eyes hardened as Shadow moved to walk past him. Silver suddenly gripped Shadow's arm so tightly that it actually surprised the ebony male.

"If you ever do that again—"

"Do what?" Shadow hissed into his ear. "Stop an argument?"

"That was only stopping it for the moment," Silver clenched his jaw in obvious hatred towards his host. "But I'm talking about something different. And I think you know it well enough too, _animal."_

The word caught him off guard.

He didn't have enough time to ask Silver anything else or say anything for that matter. Silver had already brushed past him and into the living room. Shadow stood there for a long moment or two. He was still surprised Silver had stopped him like that to begin with.

The hedgehog had guts.

Even more so, Silver caught on to the behavior going around in the room. And he wasn't talking about the normal kind. It was something more…animalistic – something that sent bad vibes throughout the room, except to the person giving the vibes.

With the word replaying in his head – the sharp disgust of the tone lacing through – Shadow left the house in search of some much needed solitude.

* * *

The book wasn't actually that bad.

Amy just never imagined herself to be one to care about the behaviors of Mobians – or their animalistic side. But the car ride was so silent that Amy was willing to do anything to keep from going bored.

"Tails, how much further?"

"I told you guys, it's a long ways. Hence why we started somewhat early. We'll get back pretty late, but that doesn't matter."

"How late?"

"Depends what time you wanna leave."

"Depends what time we get there."

Tails sighed. Silver was proving to be a very difficult Mobian being. He hadn't seen the hedgehog in a hell of a long time, and it was good to catch up. But he wasn't used to someone actually talking back to him – he was used to planes and farm equipment sputtering at him.

"It takes six hours to get there. We'll be there around two. It's a Monday, so it's a shortened schedule for Cream's school – she told me she gets out at around two – which'll work. Vanilla wanted to invite us to dinner and stay if we want to, but I'm okay with just dinner. Honestly."

Silver could sense the fox's hesitation to even go. But the fact that he and Cream were texting made Silver think the rabbit was more excited to see Tails than Amy. The sad truth hit him as he looked back at the reading female. All Amy wanted to do was see her once-best friend. Unfortunately, Silver could tell where it was going to go. It was the only reason he was going.

"So if we leave by six that gets us back at home around midnight to one. Closer to one, though. You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all," Silver reached for his water. "In fact, I wanna get in and out of that hellhole as quick as possible."

Tails gave him a look that said he agreed. Looking back in the rearview mirror, he could see Amy was listening to music as she read the book. Relaxing, the fox glanced at Silver.

"She asked to hang out."

"What?"

"Cream. She wants to hang out."

"With you?"

Tails thinned his lips in an unhappy smile. "Yeah. I get why she did what she did. I mean, we were young and foolish, but I honestly…I'm just getting happy without her being in my life. And there's this girl in town that's…you know. More available."

"Cream is underage," Silver snorted. "I can't believe she's going to be selfish and ask for alone time with you."

"Technically she already did ask for it. She said she'd just use some excuse – figured Amy would want to shop or something."

"I doubt it."

"Exactly what I said. Those two think they know each other."

"Aren't they in for a surprise?"

"No kidding."

They were silent as Tails drove. The interstate was busy as ever that morning with early risers. It didn't make it any easier that it was a Monday and everyone was in a sour mood.

"So, what did you say?"

"Hm?"

"When Cream asked to spend time with you…What did you say?" Silver kept his voice down as he didn't exactly know how loud Amy's music was. But after a few seconds, even he could hear the beats. Wanting to tell her to turn the music down in case she blew her eardrum, Silver selfishly decided against it to learn more about what Tails had to say.

"I told her the truth. I said I was seeing someone."

"Are you?"

"Not really. I haven't told anyone. For the most part, everyone assumes I'm lonely as can be. But I get out."

"This girl…she nice?"

"Yeah. Her name's Camelia. She's nineteen."

"And how'd you meet her?" Silver asked out of curiosity. "Considering it seems like you're self-employed and never get out much."

"Oh, ha." Tails smirked but it faded quickly. "Look, um…I'm going to school. Like college, school. My IQ is obviously good enough to get in, despite no high school education."

"Congrats, man," Silver lightly punched his shoulder. "Well, what are you going in?"

"Business. I just wanna take a class or two and learn some more things to benefit my shop. I figure if I can get enough workers for the summer, we can run the other guys out."

"Shops? Like parts – like Sonic? Wouldn't that put him out of a job?"

"Well, Sonic's the only one that really knows about my schooling besides Shadow and Sarah. But what the other two don't know that Sonic does…is that Sonic gets to be assistant manager. Anyway, I met Camelia during one of my classes and things just…clicked, ya know?"

"Really?" Silver huffed. "Things didn't click with Cream?"

"I mean..." Tails looked at the horizon as his grip tightened around the steering wheel. "It was always like this thing in the back of everyone's mind that Cream and I were supposed to be together. It might have been because we were both the youngest, but I just never truly felt…"

"In love?"

"Yeah. It felt like an obligation to be with Cream. But with Camelia, it's just something I can enjoy. I enjoy being around her."

"You didn't enjoy being around Cream?"

"Well, I certainly didn't get the time to be around her. When Amy was out of her life, I guess she changed into someone that wasn't like Cream at all."

"How bad can she be?"

Tails raised his eyebrows and heavily exhaled. "It's more or less the fact that it's her choice in friends. She's not bad, per se. But, I didn't feel happy around her. Camelia…Camelia's different."

"Are you two dating, then?"

"Not officially. She said she wants nothing more than to date me, but something's holding me back."

"Like what?" Silver narrowed his eyebrows. "Cream?"

"No. Not that. It's like a gut feeling that tells me something's not right. And let's face it, with everyone coming for the wedding, I figure it'll be hell having everyone around and overwhelming everyone. I wouldn't want that negativity to brush off of me and get us into some stupid fight that we'll regret."

"Smart man." Silver smirked. "So, she's your date to the wedding, then?"

"Probably."

"And Cream?"

Tails sighed. "Well, when I said I was seeing someone, she grew pretty silent. She still said she'd like to talk. I think she thinks she can change my mind."

"And can she?"

Blue eyes met amber for a split second. But it was a split second to know the truth. Silver smiled genuinely. "I'm glad one of us has matured out of all this."

"Cream needs to grow up a bit more. I'm happy with where I'm at now in life."

Silver quirked an eyebrow up for a moment. "And Shadow?"

"What about him?"

"Something's obviously going on. I mean, I was getting hints and stuff from Amy that made it seem like something's going on between them."

"Well, Sonic has it in his mind that Shadow and Amy would be perfect together."

"Hm."

Tails chuckled as he continued to drive. It was going to be a long six hours. "He doesn't want to marry Sarah and leave Shadow all by himself – the way things started. Sonic feels obligated to make sure that Shadow isn't alone. So when Amy called, Sonic saw it as an opportunity of a lifetime. Granted, Sonic wanted to see Amy. He just wanted to play matchmaker a lot more."

"He hasn't really succeeded."

"He's not really trying." The two laughed as Tails continued, "Sometimes it seems like Sonic regrets even making the decision. I mean, you've noticed, haven't you?"

"Noticed what?"

"Despite Amy waltzing in," Tails looked in the rearview mirror and saw how enthralled Amy was with the book, "and saying some unnecessary things to Shadow, they've managed to work things out. And for someone to do that and still be in Shadow's life is something of a new thing to us."

"He definitely acts more…animal towards her," Silver grunted at the thought. "He used a domineering tone this morning. And she actually _submitted_ to him."

"Really?"

"Really. I was pissed that he'd actually do something like that. I mean, I've read parts of the book," Silver motioned towards the back with his head to not catch Amy's attention too much. "Shadow has the signs of being more animalistic than most Mobians."

"Probably because of the way he was artificially engineered. Maybe his DNA contains more animal than human," Tails shrugged. "It's a part of Mobian life, really. We are animals when we get down to the root of things. Shadow does show signs of it more, though. Hence why I'm making her read the book. I figure I can try and help Sonic with this matchmaking deal."

Silver raised an eyebrow in question. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Shadow's kept Amy around this long – it must mean something. Now, I've read those books twice. Once when I heard Amy was coming, and the first time was when Sarah came along. Sonic didn't show animalistic signs over her at first, but I think putting Sarah in the same house as Shadow kind of set off something in Sonic. Over the years, Sonic's gained control. Plus, Sonic didn't lose it when Amy was on her monthly. Shadow did."

"Yeah, I heard all about that," Silver grumpily stated. "Did he try anything?"

"No." Tails gave Silver a smirk. "Shadow's got more self-control than we think. _But_ it was noticeable and he was trying his damnedest to fight it, too."

"Meaning his animalistic side finds Amy attractive."

"Not just that but suitable as a mate." Tails chuckled to himself as he made the observation in his head. "In all the years that the Wilson's have tried to set Shadow up with dates, I've never seen him act like this. Something about Amy has Shadow's animal side awake. Did he act harshly towards you or Manic when you guys arrived?"

Silver shook his head. "Not that I can recall. But he definitely wasn't friendly this morning. Or during our _Skype_ call."

"Self-control again," the fox explained. "Shadow's civil and logical side is the side we see most often. But I wanted Amy to read that book because-"

"Because she's the one that sees the most of his other side," Silver finished with a nod of his head. "I get it. And you think it'll open her eyes a bit more or get her animal side out?"

"It's one way to play matchmaker, that's for sure. Get their animalistic side out and let instincts take over – then their logical brains will start to produce feelings towards one another. Simple but it might take a while. With a person like Shadow, it'd be a wonder if he would ever settle down."

"Have you ever seen him be romantic?"

"He didn't really try with the girls the Wilson's would set him up with. Most took off upon seeing him – which makes me think Amy's a better choice for him. She already knows his past, and despite what she's done and apologized for, she's accepted him. Maybe that's why his logical, normal side is keeping her here."

Suddenly, and abruptly, Amy sat up from her laying position. The book was partially closed but her finger held her spot. Her other hand ripped the earplugs out.

"Hey, if a male rubs himself against you while you're on your period to make you smell like him and not attract other males, does that mean he subconsciously likes you?"

Silver and Tails stared at one another. The white hedgehog twisted back around to Amy. "Did…Shadow do this to you?"

"Maybe once."

The smirk across Tails' muzzle was too much for Silver to ignore. Something was going on between Shadow and Amy, even if the two didn't see it. Silver saw it. Something was bound to happen. He just wasn't sure if he wanted it to or not.

"It's a weird way of phrasing jealousy, but yeah," Tails noted. "I'd say so."

Amy hummed before shaking her head and placing the book on the console. "No more, Tails. I can't handle this. There's too much to even figure out—"

"Would that be because Shadow's done half the things in the book?"

"Shut up." Amy twisted around to face the seat as she lied down again. "I'm going to take a nap – don't disturb me." She put her earplugs back in.

And just like that, Tails was back to smirking knowingly. "See what I mean?" he whispered. "Amy's the one for Shadow. Shadow just doesn't see it himself yet, but thankfully, his animal side is already starting to claim her as his mate. Now all we need is for both to actually fall in love. Ya get what I'm saying?"

Silver stared back at Amy softly. "Yeah, I get what you're saying."

All he could think, however, was if _Shadow_ was an appropriate fit for Amy.

* * *

 _It was pitch black._

 _Reaching out, Amy knew what she was looking for – the bed._

' _What's going on?' She thought as she took an uneasy step. 'Ugh…Am I dreaming?'_

 _No. It felt so real. Except for the added weight._

 _A hand flew to her stomach. Amy's eyes widened as she placed both hands on the enlarged stomach. A small nudge from within responded._

' _I feel light headed…'_

 _Oddly, Amy didn't feel worried that something was moving inside her._

 _Suddenly hands skimmed from her hips to her arms before wrapping around her. Amy froze as a familiar scent wafted around her. The lifeform behind her nuzzled into the crook of her shoulder and purred._

" _What do you think you're doing up so late?"_

 _His voice was smooth and laced with humor. Quills quivered in a warning way to her, however. Amy felt helpless in that moment. Her ears pinned back as Shadow tugged at her body until she fit against him snug. The feeling of her supposed mate nipping at her neck left her shivering. Amy bit her bottom lip and leaned against him._

' _What is happening…Why can't I move?'_

 _Something in her brain told her this wasn't the normal routine between her and Shadow. They weren't intimately together – she wasn't the mate of Shadow the Hedgehog! It just couldn't be._

 _Amy seized control of her body, knowing it was all just a dream. She had to wake up. Pulling away from Shadow, she moaned tiredly._

 _Instinctively, his hands flew to her stomach and he stood straight. Towering over her now, Shadow made Amy feel smaller than before if such a thing was possible. Amy could feel the calculating stare directed at the back of her head._

" _Amy?"_

" _What?" she found herself having complete control of her voice, too._

' _This is different. Normally, I can't control anything in my dreams…And this dream is a little out there.'_

 _Dreaming that she was the Ultimate Life Form's wife wasn't a normal dream for her. She hadn't even thought – well, okay, maybe she had thought about the idea of being Shadow's wife in reality, but it was purely out of disbelief. That notion would never happen._

 _It just wouldn't._

 _Even if the sparks were undeniably stronger between them right now in this reverie._

" _No need to snap," his voice droned and he was soon nudging her towards the bed. "It's late. You should be resting."_

 _Amy bit her tongue as a sarcastic response made way. She had to remember she wasn't in real life at the moment. Who knows how the Shadow in her dream would react – especially if they were married and she was pregnant with his child._

 _Just the thought should have sent Amy Rose hurling or at least shivering in distaste. But the small kick from within made her thoughts stop abruptly. And her feet._

 _Shadow sighed in annoyance. "Amy," he warned. "You've been on your feet all day."_

 _The rose hedgehog bit her lip and moved towards the bed. Letting Shadow pick her up, she was gently placed under the covers. Soon, he added weight to the bed and was moving closer towards her. Amy could feel his warm breath graze against her ear as he tugged her closer to him gently, minding the belly._

 _Amy reluctantly curled up towards him._

' _This feels…oddly normal.'_

 _It was strange to feel Shadow's touch in such a gentle way. In such a way that only a lover would do. Amy couldn't help but let the butterflies flutter in her. Or maybe it was the baby. The thought of a child still hadn't seemed to bother her._

' _Am I really dreaming?' Amy tiredly thought to herself as she shut her eyes._

 _Soon, the world went dark again._

 _~.~_

 _When Amy opened her eyes again, it was like time flew by._

 _She barely recalled falling asleep next to Shadow while she was heavily pregnant. As soon as the memory hit her, it was gone._

 _And she was walking through the kitchen. A familiar kitchen, yet a different color and the cupboards were white instead of brown. The kitchen table in the middle was gone and replaced with a white table as well._

' _Perhaps…I redid it.'_

 _Amy pursed her lips in thought but was cut quickly from her thinking when something latched onto her legs. She was supposed to be unsure, but some motherly instinct told Amy who exactly it was._

 _Glancing down with a warm gaze only a mother could give, Amy smiled at the black hedgehog that had stuck himself to her legs. He peered up at her with familiar red eyes and a happy look. A little purr from her son, and he was gone in a flash._

 _Her heart was the thing to flutter this time, not her stomach. Quickly, the child came back and watched her. Amy was about to kneel and speak to him when the garage door opened. In came Shadow. Her supposed husband standing before her supposed son. The two were completely identical – matching stripes and all._

" _Good morning."_

 _The boy seemed unfazed by his father's entrance. He kept his eyes fixated on Amy and waited patiently for something. Amy raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"_

 _Shadow chuckled as he was suddenly standing closer. Their child stood between them – all within a few inches of each other. The ebony adult male reached out and kissed his wife's forehead._

" _You forget about breakfast, Amy?"_

 _Yes. Those small red eyes did show off a little hunger. The boy only chirped to agree with Shadow. He clung onto Amy's legs again. With a little wag of his tail, he purred and rubbed against her sweats._

 _Amy smiled softly and combed through his quills._

' _It's like he's real…' A small pang went through her because the reality wasn't here. This was all a dream, wasn't it? The boy didn't exist. The wedding band around her finger wouldn't be there when she'd wake up._

 _And to think such an innocent child wasn't real…_ her _child…_

 _Amy couldn't help but frown. She had to wake up from this dream that was becoming a nightmare. She didn't want to live this._

 _She wasn't married to Shadow. They weren't a family._

 _Why on Earth was she dreaming it then? Was it some sort of sign?_

' _No. No. Don't be ridiculous, Amy. Dreams happen with normally the last things you think of. What were you doing before?'_

 _The pink female tried to think, she really did. But she could only tell that this was a dream. She didn't remember anything else. The stuff in the dream was false compared to reality – she knew that much. Her and Shadow_ weren't _together._

" _Mammmma," the little boy held out the m's to catch his mother's attention._

 _The big, red eyes were almost too much for her to bear. She could feel Shadow's curious gaze as he stood nearer._

 _Amy smiled softly down at the child. "Of course…"_

 _~.~_

 _Waking up this time, Amy felt the cold cement against her cheek._

 _The swinging lamp gave off the only light in what seemed to be a basement. She rolled over on her back and rubbed her eyes._

' _Where…Where am I?'_

 _Sitting up, Amy was greeted with red paint – or what she hoped was paint – on the walls. The capital letter words spelled out 'WORTHINGTON.' While trying to get her bearings and remember what the hell happened, Amy stood._

' _I was…with Shadow, wasn't I? Or was I in a car? No, I had a kid. Or I was going to see one…What's happening?'_

 _Staring at the wall some more, the word was the only thing Amy could focus on. The entire wall was covered in the name. Over and over again. All four walls were._

' _Worthington…I've heard it before, but where?'_

 _An image of Scourge flashed through her brain. But she couldn't connect the pieces to the puzzle._

 _Turning, Amy caught sight of the stairs that led up and out of the basement. Amy was on her way out, hurrying up the stairs, when a soft cry stopped her. A motherly instinct told her to go back down._

 _And she did._

 _Tucked away in the corner of the room was a small bundle of blankets. Picking the light weight up, Amy widened her eyes. A familiar nose poked out and little red eyes stared at her with fear. Her child, He was tired and shaking, but his scent matched hers._

' _Oh, no. What the hell is going on?'_

 _She clung to her baby as she raced up the stairs. Pounding on the steps, she grabbed the knob of the door and swung it open, ready to leave this fantasy and wake up._

 _Only, something blocked her._

" _It seems someone's awake."_

 _The voice sent a chill down her spine. Staring dead ahead, Amy was met with Samwell Turner. The bat outstretched his wings and blocked her only escape from the old house that gave off a terrible vibe. Something about it was sick._

 _Amy swallowed as Sam took a step. The baby in her grasp whined, and she clutched onto him tighter._

" _I must say, Shadow is a persistent mate. He's destroyed two of my best warehouses in hopes of finding you."_

 _Just the mention of Shadow's name made Amy's heart skip a beat. He was looking for her? He was trying to save her? What about the others? Did they care? Why was she here?_

 _So many questions and yet she felt no one would give her any answers._

 _Amy tightened her hold on the baby. The thought of Shadow risking life and limb for her made her heart flutter still. It was all a dream though. She just knew it._

 _Still, the baby in her grasp felt so real._

' _I've got to get out of here.' A warning went off in her brain the moment she saw Sam. Dream or not, he was probably dangerous either way. 'But how? He's in the way.'_

 _Sam took another step. Amy narrowed her eyebrows and hissed. "Why waste your time, Samwell? Shadow's going to kill you for this."_

" _Maybe so."_

 _The slow approach of his steps made her uneasy._

 _It was worse when the lights went out._

 _Amy let out a gasp as her heart pounded against her ribcage. She reached for the wall and leaned against it, walking backwards. She managed to carry her baby in her free arm. Sam continued towards her._

' _No!' her mind was sent into panic mode as she felt something creeping towards her, dangerously close._

" _But I want him to come," Sam's voice was everywhere – bouncing off the walls as Amy clenched her teeth. "I want to see the look on his face when he sees you dead."_

 _Sam's breath was right in front of her face. She scrunched her nose in disgust as her foot almost slipped. The stairs back down to the basement were right behind her. Sam was right in front of her. There was nowhere to go._

 _Fear clutched onto her._

" _I want to see the Ultimate Life Form in pain."_

 _Amy bit her lip. She ignored Sam. She hoped that Shadow would rescue her in time, instead. As if he would waltz in any moment. That's what happened in the movies. Why couldn't it happen in her dream, too?_

" _It'll be the sweetest revenge on the Sonic Heroes – plucking them out one by one," Sam suddenly whispered and broke her from her thoughts. He leaned closer. "But don't worry. I've chosen you to be first so you don't have to watch all your friends die."_

 _She didn't register what happened next._

 _Amy could only scream as she tumbled down the stairs. The baby was no longer in her grasp, but the wailing cries that came from him shook her eardrums._

 _The last thing she could see was the red paint dripping down the white cinderblock wall._

 _And the familiar words racing towards her until her mind went blank._

 _Worthington._

"Amy?"

A slap on her cheek awoke her from the horrific nightmare. Amy panted heavily as Silver raised an eyebrow at her.

"You okay, Ames?"

The rose hedgehog nodded and waved Silver off. "Yeah, where are we?" She lifted herself up quickly to catch her surroundings.

It was daylight. She was in the truck. They were at a high school.

"Cream's standing over there with her friend," Tails motioned. He unbuckled and glanced at Silver and then at Amy. "You sure you wanna do this still?"

"Yeah," Amy responded. "Just give me a minute, will ya?"

Tails shrugged and got out of the vehicle.

Silver sighed. "This should be fun, hm?" He left too without giving Amy the chance to respond.

It didn't matter anyway.

Amy leaned against the window as the guys did as she had asked. They both figured she was trying to muster up courage to walk up to Cream after all those years. When in reality, Amy was still panting over the dream.

She reached to her stomach. No child. Nowhere. No innocent child growing inside her and no innocent child clutching onto her legs. No Samwell Turner pushing her down a flight of stairs, either. And yet, everything – every little moment had felt so real.

 _Never have I experienced something like that…_

The hedgehog put her head against the headrest and focused on breathing evenly.

Staring out the front window, Amy saw Cream standing at the front of the school with another girl. For once, Amy didn't care about the situation or even about herself – or anyone but one being in that moment.

The baby in the dream was gone and it terrified her to not know if he was alive or not.

At that moment, Amy didn't want to talk to Cream, Tails, or even Silver. She only wanted to find Shadow.

For some reason.


	21. A Reunion of Sorts

**STH © SEGA/Archie**

 **Sarah & Wilson Family © Cozy Shadow **

**Flame, Petunia, Jeffery, and Sunny © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _Check out my poll! :D Please vote if you haven't already!_

 _Not sure when I'm gonna close the poll…since I don't know if everyone's that available to vote has…Maybe if you voted, you can tell me in a review why you chose the story(ies) that you chose in the poll. I'm curious because of the stories winning the poll so far._

 _I don't think I've ever taken the time to tell you readers how amazing each and every single one of you truly are. :D I love you all and the support you've been so generous to give throughout my years writing here!_

 _ **Also, check out my profile under ATTENTION and UPDATE. It might explain if any of you saw the now deleted "chapter" on TCG that was really an author's note. I want everyone to know the truth – and just in case something happens to the point that I'm reported for something I didn't say or do. For now, the situation has simmered down. I hope it remains that way.**_

 _WARNING: Chapter title is deceiving. XD I apologize in advance - this chapter is a little...odd paced, you could say. I intend on doing flashbacks with Amy about Cream next chapter (something I normally find myself doing, or at least did awhile ago) because of the lack of importance Cream is to this story now. *sweat drops* My bad._

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-One:**

 **A Reunion of Sorts**

Shadow had to admit that this new female wasn't half bad at farm work.

It was dustier than usual as Manic swept the tractor shed. Sunny was organizing Shadow's tools in his toolbox while happily humming to herself. Her cheeriness reminded the bolshie male of Amy.

He mentally tried to shake the thoughts, but the rose hedgehog popped into his head. And then what happened at breakfast…and then Silver's words.

 _Animal…_

A frown calmly placed itself across his muzzle.

It was true. Shadow thought more about it – figuring out he had used dominance over Amy to get not only her moving, but everyone else. Silver had seen right through it though. Something in Shadow said it wasn't good that another male in the house spotted the dominance move for it could cause rivalry.

 _Rivalry to what?_ This was where Shadow remained perplexed. He could tell he was more animalistic than the others around him. Sonic sure as hell didn't act overly possessive of Sarah – until last night.

He replayed how so suddenly Sonic switched from gripping Sarah too tightly around her wrist to growling at Shadow like he was an enemy. Shadow himself could recall feeling slightly peeved at the way Sonic held her too tightly.

 _Perhaps with the accumulating amount of house guests, we're becoming more feral. No. It's something else. I could have sworn something almost tugged me towards Sarah. Just like something tugged me towards Amy when she was on her period. Only nothing about this tug was sexual. And Sonic didn't seem to respond harshly like I had tried to make a move on Sarah._

 _It was almost like…_ Shadow furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. _Something was in need of protecting._

That was as far as he could think. He couldn't describe the way it felt. It didn't have any words. But the thought of being more animalistic than the others…intimated the Ultimate Life Form.

What if that meant he was more prone to lose control?

What if Amy was still around after Sarah and Sonic moved out and he lost control when Amy was in heat again?

Shadow tried to not think of the scenario. He didn't want to intentionally hurt the young rose. She was full of flaws like the rest of the household and yet for some reason, he found himself closer to her than the others.

 _We've created an odd bond of sorts._

He recalled the night they had "made up." It was hellish waking up to hear Amy screaming bloody murder. It had brought a heart attack upon him, he was sure. Waking up to a scream like that…it had been years and back in Mobius. What made it worse was that he had instantly known who the screams were coming from.

Shadow hadn't taken long to leap out of bed and race downstairs before Sonic could even open his bedroom door. _Something_ had told him to hurry the hell up. A small little pang in his chest tweaked when he saw her curled up on the couch in a fright, shaking like a leaf. An instinct within him, now known as his animal instincts, told him to protect the lovely flower. Even in that instance he saw Sonic as a threat, but he did his best not to show it.

" _I wanna make a truce. And a pact. Between you and me."_

He stood in the shed, remembering her words while Manic and Sunny continued about their jobs, completely oblivious to the over thinking Shadow in the corner. On his stool, he leaned against a metal work bench.

" _A truce?"_

" _I'll do my best not to insult you when you aggravate me, and you do the same for me. We become friends – or at least tolerable of each other in the nicest way possible."_

" _And the pact?"_

" _We help each other move on with our lives. And if one of us is falling into a relapse, then the other is there to help – no matter what's going on."_

He had leaned in towards her at that moment. He could remember the moment perfectly as she had blushed. Shadow had watched her sink back onto the bed.

Sitting at the stool now, the dark blur almost smirked.

Realizing his effect on the pink hedgehog, Shadow had found himself trapped in a place he didn't want to be.

" _And what makes you think I'll agree to either of those things?"_

" _Because we're more alike than you think, Shadow. At least, we understand one another. Sonic and Sarah can't understand you like I can. That and…"_

" _And what?"_

Shadow had been genuinely curious. Her embarrassed look had caught his attention quickly and something told him to pry.

" _And I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose anyone."_

In that moment, Shadow figured out where he was for sure. He had stared at the female next to him in awe, despite the obvious fact that he would never admit it. Yes, he had admitted in his head more than once that Amy was alluring. And tolerable. And available.

And a small part of him, a more touchy feeling part that was used to staying hidden and unused by its owner, had surfaced. From the time Shadow and Amy first slept next to one another, and Shadow could only stare at the beautiful sleeping figure…that small part of him knew.

Being just friends wasn't going to be easy. Especially since the sudden idea of Amy leaving and finding herself that sappy romantic ending caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up.

The tiny, powerful, and unknown feeling from that night was resurfacing with a vengeance.

And it had shown when he kissed Amy on the forehead last night.

 _I had to turn away just so I could think straight. I was in a daze or something, I'm sure._ Shadow tried to wave it off as he thought, still seated on the stool. _Hopefully she didn't think much of it._

A small spark ignited in him with curiosity.

 _Did she think anything of it?_ He closed his eyes. _No, Shadow. No. Stop it. You're falling for everyone's words right now. Sonic's. Even Frank's. Ugh, Frank._

Why did that old man have to know so damn much just by looking at Shadow? He could instantly tell that Amy wasn't the normal "friend," no matter whose friend she really was from the beginning. The black hedgehog had tried his best to wave off Frank's words. But the human proved smart with his years and gray hair. Shadow narrowed his eyebrows again in deep concentration.

So many people were trying to play matchmaker, it seemed.

 _What do they see? When I'm standing next to Amy Rose, how does that scream compatibility? How do they see any potential for a loving and trustworthy relationship between the two of us?_

 _What are they seeing that we're not?_

He was confused beyond words and actions and anything else combined. Love was a mystery to the Ultimate Life Form – that was no guess.

But he was curious.

What _did_ they see? And why didn't he or Amy see it?

 _It's not like the idea of settling down scares me. But people would be judgmental._

Amy's words were brought back to life.

 _Even if I could give the people a reason to not fear me, what then? I doubt they'd all accept me with open arms or at least welcome mats._ Shadow scoffed in doubt. _Amy still deserves better. Not the likes of me. The sooner I get rid of this growing, itching, obnoxious, warm feeling – the better._

"Hey, Shadow?"

His train of thoughts derailed. Staring into the dark eyes of Manic, Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"You okay?" Manic held the broom to lean against it. "You were mumbling a bit there. Couldn't catch a word of it though."

Sunny sat on the work bench not too far away from Shadow and offered him a grin. "We're all done, by the way. Anything else you need help with?"

"No," Shadow stood abruptly and dusted himself off like he had been doing all the work. He was about to leave but turned to Sunny. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Sarah said how exhausting it can be. I can relate to it. Or I could have a long time ago," Sunny laughed halfheartedly and softly as she tried to ease the tension, "Back on Mobius."

Shadow hummed and turned before catching Manic's gaze. The dark hedgehog sighed and stood in place. "I'm assuming you want to say something?"

"Yeah. What's up with you and Amy?"

He gritted his teeth while Sunny made some sort of noise. Turning, red eyes glared into the soul of Manic the Hedgehog. "Why didn't you visit?"

It was silent.

Any jest in Manic's question was completely gone. Any humor in the younger male's eyes had vanished. He remained stoic for some time as Sunny looked at anything but the two breathing beings in front of her.

"I couldn't bring myself to do it," Manic finally answered. "My mother was our rock. She held us steady. And for us to suddenly wake up one morning to find that she was…losing memory…"

"You were preparing for the worse?" Shadow guessed.

He shrugged. "Something like that. Having your mother forget who you are isn't the best thing in the world, ya know?"

"I wouldn't know the feeling."

Manic flinched. "I'm sorry, Shadow. I didn't…" He groaned heavily. "It's difficult to explain. I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of my mother slowly forgetting who we were – and then she just couldn't do the things she used to love doing. It was heartbreaking. And the best way I could deal with that…was leaving." He swallowed. "I wanted to visit. Especially when she landed back in the hospital. But work really has been dragging me down as well as my selfish actions and emotions."

"You couldn't bring yourself to visit your own mother in fear of breaking down yourself?"

"We're losing her, Shadow." Manic shook his head slowly as his eyes seemed to water – but Shadow couldn't quite tell. "It'll only be a matter of time. The portal did something to her, I swear it."

"You don't think it's just old age?"

"She was perfectly fine before the portal," Manic seethed through his teeth. "And then whatever the hell happened – it…it started to take over her brain. Everything started to deteriorate. It was like erasing memory on a drive and you couldn't fix it."

"Alzheimer's affects many, Manic," Shadow twisted to face him completely. "The portal isn't there to blame without proof. Your mother isn't getting any younger."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" he nearly hissed in annoyance. "I've tried to cope, but I can't find the peace I'm looking for. I still have that fear that one night I might get a phone call saying she's passed away from another tumble down the stairs because she forgets they're there. Or that she got into a car because someone wasn't looking after her. Hell, with Sonic acting like this, I might not ever get that phone call!" Manic eyes were surely watering now, but he was mostly frustrated.

Shadow clasped a hand on his shoulder. "Running away from the situation was all you tried to do. Perhaps that's not the best thing to do. If you want to prepare for this, or have closure, you might want to start with explaining this to your brother."

"But he'd just –"

"Sonic will come around eventually." Shadow let go and turned towards the side door. "Your mother isn't dying, Manic," he added before opening the door. He twisted the knob and caught the breeze from outside as he glanced back at the young and lost hedgehog. "She's recovering smoothly. There's no need to act like she's on her deathbed. Aleena still has plenty of life left in her, despite not remembering things."

He was about to go, but could sense Manic's doubt all the way from the door.

"I'm the Ultimate Life Form. Trust me on these sorts of things."

* * *

"I don't recognize her."

Amy was vaguely listening to the fox as the trio sauntered towards Cream and another Mobian girl. The rose female was too caught up in the dream.

 _It felt so real…The baby –_ my _baby._

"Who? The chick beside Cream?"

"Yeah," Tails wondered out loud as Silver was the only one keeping up with the conversation. Amy was slowing down, "Ames, you with us?"

"Huh?" she shot her head up and mentally shook the dream out. She had to focus on reality. A dream was just a dream. "Right, I'm coming!" Quickly, she caught up with the two males.

"Maybe she's secretly an FBI agent," Silver went back to the unknown girl next to Cream. They were nearing the two, but not within earshot. School had just gotten over with and students were filing out of the big school.

"Sure. Maybe she wants to recruit us for a top secret mission," Tails snorted. "Or draw DNA samples to create clones."

"Could you imagine?"

"What - another you?" Tails pretended to shudder, "Dear God, no."

"No - two Blaze's," Silver sighed romantically, although his face expression shouted perverted thoughts. "Could you _imagine_?" he repeated but with more humor laced through his voice.

"Ew, stop," the fox chortled. Amy was walking beside him on his left, closest to the parking lot while Silver trailed almost on top of the grass voluntarily. "I don't want the image in my head."

"Something tells me it's too late-"

"AMY!"

Silver and Tails both stop joking as soon as a rabbit zipped by and hugged the life out of their Amy Rose. They both blinked with blank expressions of 'What the hell just happened?'

The white hedgehog turned first and saw something peculiar. Weren't these two supposed to be fighting? Or something? Amy wasn't happy with Cream. Cream wasn't happy with Amy.

Yet here they were.

Cream giving Amy a death hug and Amy…

Silver raised an eyebrow.

 _Amy's clutching onto her like she's the most important thing in the world right now._

It was true. One hand was gripping Cream around the waist as her other hand clutched the back of Cream's head as if to burrow her in Amy's chest. The motherly instinct arose in Amy as soon as the rabbit tackled her in a hug.

Perhaps her thoughts on the dream hadn't subsided completely.

Her mind played as if Cream were the infant in her dream. Slowly, Amy came back to reality as Cream pulled away with a soft grin on her face. Amy returned it.

"You look beautiful," the rabbit whispered.

She had grown too. Cream's hair was longer, now falling to her mid-back. She had grown taller over the years, but not as tall as Amy. Her ears were longer. Her body had definitely matured as well.

"As do you."

Cream blushed and laughed it off. "I want you to meet my friend!" She tugged Amy's hand and brought the rose hedgehog to the mystery Mobian girl.

Amy looked her up and down while Silver and Tails stood behind her. Cream grinned at the bobcat waiting to be introduced. She had big, round glasses on, and when she smiled she showed off her braces. "This is Meg! She's one of my best friends!"

Something should have sparked in Amy – told her that _she_ was Cream's only best friend. But it didn't. That spot was replaced with some bobcat named Meg with goofy glasses and probably straight A's for grades. And Amy didn't mind.

She had Silver the Hedgehog. It was nice just to see Cream not down in the dumps or completely angry with her. That or it was all a façade. Amy was still keeping her guard up just in case.

"Hello," Meg waved slightly. "I'm a big fan."

Amy smiled widely. No wonder Cream brought this friend out. Who knows how many the rabbit had? Or didn't have? It didn't seem to be a big deal if this Meg girl was Cream's friend. She appeared to be genuine.

"Hi. Amy Rose," she brought out her hand and shook it with Meg's. Silver and Tails did the same after her. "This is Silver the Hedgehog and Tails Prower."

It was probably clear that Meg knew their names if she was a fan, but Amy introduced her friends formally anyway. She turned to Cream. "Is Meg going to be hanging out with us?"

"No, my brother should be coming by-" the bobcat was cut off by a deeper voice.

"Megan, let's go." Another bobcat, probably a senior, walked down the sidewalk from the school's front doors with his bag over his shoulder.

He halted upon seeing Amy and raised his eyebrow. Making his way over, the tom smirked. "Who's your friend?" he gave Amy a nod.

While Silver and Tails gave each other a look, Amy opened her mouth to speak. The bobcat whistled, cutting her off as well. "You're not from around here, are you, good lookin'?"

Amy gritted her teeth when suddenly Cream bolted forward and glared at the senior daringly. "She's not interested, Paul."

"Yeah," Silver suddenly coughed from the back. "You don't recognize her?"

The bobcat raised an eyebrow at Silver – as if the white hedgehog was an idiot. "I think I would remember a pretty face like hers-"

"She's Amy Rose, numbskull," Silver finished – not caring if he cut off the guy's lame attempt to flatter his best friend. "The hero?"

Paul grew quiet as his face turned to stone. His cheeks flushed a great amount as he stared down at Amy. The rose hedgehog fidgeted under his awestruck gaze. Silver noticed Amy's uneasiness and decided to "help" further.

"You might remember her boyfriend as well? Not Sonic, but the other darker one. Yeah, he doesn't like it when people stare at her."

Amy blushed herself, but her face also turned red with anger.

 _Oh, Silver just had to take the moment! I'm going to kill him!_

"I don't see him here," Paul suddenly seemed to gain confidence back and neared Amy. Purring, Paul seemed to whisper only to her, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind sharing."

"He does in fact mind sharing," Tails joined in. "Shadow is very, very, very, very, very possessive of things. Most importantly Amy. Remember Christmas Eve, Silver?"

"Yeah, that poor guy didn't make it through the night."

"What-what poor guy?" Paul questioned nervously as he stared between Tails and Silver. He could sort of call the heroes, and he knew which one they were talking about now that he had a face with a name.

"Well, reports say he magically flew out a window," Silver started, noticing that Amy was close to bursting in rage. "He did not get what was on his Christmas list that year – let me tell you."

"Yup," Tails put his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. "Simply wanted one dance with the lovely Amy Rose but went a little too far and – splat. He went from a dance party to a hospital surgery in a matter of seconds."

"Seconds," Silver echoed with a nod of his head.

Paul scoffed. "Yeah, right. Why haven't we heard about something that serious then?"

"We managed to keep it on the down low," Tails answered. "But trust us, when we tell you this –"

Silver wrapped an arm around Paul's shoulders. "Shadow is _always_ watching. You think you can mess with him? You better think again."

"You so much as speak to her and he remembers your face."

"He figures out your name and address later on though."

Paul gulped as the two continued talking. Everyone knew Shadow's past life – everyone knew he had worked for G.U.N. and probably had good resources. Paul didn't want to be visited one night by the Ultimate Life Form, however. He didn't need to see an angry male in his doorway.

Paul chose life.

"I didn't mean any harm…" he backed away, getting out of Silver's hold. "C'mon, Meg."

He grabbed Meg's arm and tugged her as she quickly said goodbye to Cream, who had stood and watched in wonder.

"Well, that's over with."

Not two seconds after Silver got the words out was Amy's hand wrapped around his throat. "Hey, hey, easy! I've got a Blazey Wazey to return home to!"

"You couldn't _think_ of _any_ other idea but _that one?!"_

He was silent and rather smug. "Nope."

"UGH!"

"Amy?" Cream whispered and the older female turned about, raising any eyebrow in question at her. "Are you and Shadow really dating?"

"No, Cream. Silver and Tails are being like everyone else and saying we are when we're not even remotely attracted to one another," Amy answered, although more than half of them knew it was a lie.

Silver recalled the drive as did Tails. He was still unsure about Shadow actually being in Amy's life, but if Tails thought Shadow was good for Amy and vice versa, he figured it was worth a shot.

Amy knew she had lied because she had admitted herself that Shadow was attractive – or at least had _good qualities._

The dream was still fresh on her mind; as if Shadow's gentle touch from the dream was still casting a spell on her.

Amy blushed at the thought but tried to wave the entire situation off. "Let's go, shall we?"

"Where to?" Silver shrugged. "We just came here to pick up cargo," he pointed at Cream.

The rabbit glared slightly as Amy pondered. Cream turned to her old friend with a sweet gaze that Amy still wasn't sure was real or not, "How about a bookstore? It's my favorite place to be at – it's got a nice coffee joint too if you're tired from the drive. We could catch up there before going to my house for dinner. What do you say?"

Tails shrugged, finding it slightly awkward to be in Cream's presence after all this time. Amy offered her a warm smile. Silver groaned in a heavy exhale, but the rabbit and female hedgehog were already headed down the sidewalk.

The fox stopped short beside Silver. His eyes narrowed at Cream's back as the two ladies continued to walk ahead of them towards Tails' truck. Amy led the way. "Something isn't kosher here."

"I was about to say the same damn thing."

* * *

Brown eyes stared tiredly at the fax paper.

 _Spam. Spam. Oh, look – another spam._

The fax machine was literally useless in Sarah's life. She was a teacher for preschoolers for God's sake. Why the hell did she need a fax machine right next to her computer? It took up valuable space on her desk.

Amidst her routinely timed complaints, a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Ms. Hutchington?"

"Yes?" Sarah shot up from her slumped position in her comfy chair.

The secretary from the office had poked her head in, but why? She hardly ever visited after school hours. School had ended thirty minutes ago. The clock ticked almost four in the afternoon.

 _Wherever Amy's at, it's the same time._ Sarah wondered how the rose female was doing. She had never met Cream the Rabbit in her life – but Sonic held a grudge against the rabbit just like he held one against his little brother. _And we still need to work that situation out._

"I need to run over to the high school real quick, but there's this little girl whose mother is normally late picking her up. Can you watch her until I get back, please?" The secretary was human and taller than Sarah, but she was still intimidated by the preschool teacher.

It was times like these that Sarah regretted becoming a teacher. She hated kids most days.

"Sure."

But a kid that was late being picked up? What kind of parent did that on a daily basis?

Sarah followed the secretary down the hall and towards the front door. Sure enough, a small pink hedgehog sat on the bench by herself. The secretary reached out to grasp Sarah on the shoulder, but remembered last minute the private teacher didn't like to be touched by strangers. "I'll be back soon," she said instead and walked quickly out the front doors.

Sarah watched her leave so rapidly. Sighing, she turned her attention to the young girl on the bench. She had to be about first or second grade – but Sarah didn't remember her. Wouldn't she have taught her just a few years ago?

 _I remember plenty of kids. I have a good memory._ Sarah pondered. _But I don't remember her._

Sitting down beside her, Sarah debated on making small talk with a small child.

"So…Is your mother normally this late?"

"Hmhm."

Sarah leaned back against the wall and watched as the little girl swung her feet.

She was a lighter shade than Amy with blue eyes. Her quills were long for her age and straight – they'd probably grow out like Silver's long quills. She was dressed fairly normal, minus the odd bracelet around her wrist with dates on the leather part.

"Why is your mother so late?" Sarah spoke again.

The child only shrugged. "We live near the edge of town. That's what she says."

 _Edge of town…meaning they either live in the direction of the mountains like us or they live further towards the south where the sagebrush is. Either way, it's either fields or more fields they'd be surrounded by._

The only place populated with houses was in Lenore. That was five minutes tops from the school.

"We're the closest school to you?"

"Hmhm."

Sarah sensed the girl was uneasy next to her. She didn't blame the child.

 _I'm not particularly easy for kids to get along with._

The door opened and Sarah figured the secretary was back. Instead, she was surprised to see another pink hedgehog – only it wasn't Amy. She was a lighter shade as well and with lighter colored green eyes that were fixated on her child.

"Rosemary, sweetie."

The girl's head popped up and she ran to her mother as Sarah stood. The mother glanced up and warmly looked at Sarah. "Thanks."

That was all she said as her and Rosemary walked out. It really was a normal routine for the mother to be late to pick up her child. Sarah didn't like children, but even she'd be on time to pick her kid up from school.

But that wasn't what got to her.

Never before had she seen a pink hedgehog until Amy Rose walked in. And then suddenly _another_ pink hedgehog that looked slightly different and had a child came forth.

A while passed and so did many notions.

The secretary came back later as Sarah remained standing in the hallway. "Are you okay, Ms. Hutchington?"

"Who is her mother?" Sarah pointed at the front door, although the pink hedgehog was long gone by the time the secretary arrived back.

"I think her name was Rosy," the secretary went into the office and checked the sign in/sign out sheet. "Yeah, she checked her daughter out last week at one. Signed it Rosy Rascal."

"That's an odd last name," Sarah snorted.

The secretary took a moment. Her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Hm, no…Nope, that name – you sure you never heard about her from your boyfriend?" The human was aware Sarah Hutchington was the same Hutchington dating Sonic the Hedgehog.

"He never said anything. Why?"

"She knew Sonic," the human recalled. "I just can't remember how, but Rosy Rascal sounds very familiar with the heroes' names. They're tied somehow, I'm sure."

"I'll ask."

The secretary nodded but locked the office door. "Principal left early tonight. I'm leaving now – thanks for watching her. You good?"

"Yeah, fine."

Sarah didn't care to watch as the secretary left. She didn't even remember the human's name. But Rosy's…Sarah would remember that name.

 _I have to ask Sonic about it. Now that I think about it, the kid kind of looks like Sco-_

An annoying ring in her pocket filled the hallway. There was a specific ringtone for a specific person in Sarah's life – and that was her mother.

She cringed as she answered the call. "Yes?"

" _I called this morning! Where were you?!"_ her mother's yell came off to Sarah as tiring rather than angry. But it was normally how her mother spoke to her – in a shrill voice that snapped back at anyone.

"I was skydiving. What do you think, Ma? I was at work," Sarah hissed.

" _Don't get sassy with me, young lady. We've got a lot to talk about since you texted me last night. What the hell are you even talking about?! You know how angry your father is right now? He won't even talk to_ me _\- that's how angry he is with_ you _."_

"Sorry to disappoint you guys."

" _This is serious, Sarah. As soon as we get there, we are settling this."_

Fear gripped Sarah as something tightened in her throat. Her hand lightly skimmed her stomach as she glanced around. No one else in the hallways.

"When will you get here?"

" _Soon. We'll be flying in – should hit that town you say you have to shop at or whatever."_

"Alright. Bye, Mom," she stated, wanting nothing more than to hang up on her own mother.

" _Sarah, wait!"_

Putting the phone back to her ear, Sarah swallowed her disgust. "Yeah?"

" _Is the wedding still on?"_

"Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?" She glanced around the hallways just in case for a second time.

" _Well, your father only dreams. As do I some nights. Have you told Sonic?"_

"No." Sarah clenched her jaw at the thought. "Listen, Mom, I've got to go."

Quickly, without having to hear her mother's annoying voice again, she hung up.

Never before had she endured sweeter silence.

* * *

It was chilly out – but it _was_ one in the morning. Technically, the alarm clock in Shadow's room had shined 1:37 a.m. It was probably almost two by the time Amy grabbed Shadow's jacket and met Silver outside on the porch.

The two shared their warmth while seated closely together on the porch chairs.

She could faintly make out her own breath every time she exhaled. The others were asleep. She had quietly walked in and out of Shadow's room to grab a long sleeved shirt from her suitcase – which she may or may not have permanently placed in his bedroom.

The male hadn't even stirred.

Which was either a good sign or a bad sign.

"I'm not gonna lie," Silver spoke without a whisper, "that wasn't how I thought it would go at all…"

Amy smiled softly and leaned against her best friend in comfort. "I had a feeling she would ask time to talk to Tails. But she just…wanted closure."

"It's nice to know someone her age asked her out, though. I thought for sure you two would be so surprised at how much each of you have changed and then a big cat fight would break out and all this drama," Silver sighed as he trailed off. "It's almost a disappointment from what chaos has been erupting here."

"No kidding," Amy laughed lightheartedly. She heavily exhaled through her nose and closed her eyes. "Dinner could have gone better."

"Who would have thunk a rabbit and a crocodile could have a child?" Silver snorted. "Crazy to see Vector again. Less crazy to see those two married. I mean, honestly, didn't Vector have a huge crush on her and he was like, what, thirty?"

Amy let out another laugh, greater this time and with more emotion. "Sammy was cute, though."

"Sammy was cute. And hungry most of the time," Silver glanced at his fingers. "I can still see bite marks."

"Well, don't put your hand near sharp things."

Silver scoffed in humor. The two quieted before Amy wondered out loud, "What do you think's going to happen with Tails and Cream now?"

"Not a damn thing. Whatever they had ended," Silver responded. Tails hadn't told Amy about his almost-girlfriend from his business class. "I don't have much right to say, but long story short, Tails has moved on. And it looks like Cream has the chance to do so, too. Let's not ruin it for either of them, alright?"

"I like to meddle," Amy pouted in a joking manner.

The white hedgehog gently smirked. "Sometimes, we have to learn to let things go. Keep the more important things."

"Blazey Wazey is important, no?"

"Absolutely."

Unbeknownst to them, another figure was there.

On the inside of the house, listening through the front door, Shadow stood still and didn't make a sound. It was either to not let Amy or Silver hear…or it was to not let the feline sleeping on the couch catch him. Shadow had a sneaking suspicion that Blaze was also a light sleep like him.

Curiouser and curiouser, Shadow eavesdropped.

Something in him, an annoying something that turned out to be holding on to a lot of new emotions for him, told Shadow that Amy shouldn't be outside with Silver – much less, _cuddling._ Shadow gritted his teeth, however.

 _They're just best friends. What the hell is happening to me?_

Just because he felt a small pull to Amy now, as if some tether tied them together, it didn't mean he had to be near her all day and all night. Still, Shadow found himself getting attached to Amy quicker than he had ever attached to Sonic or Tails or even Sarah.

It didn't feel right.

No.

It was _supposed_ to not feel right.

But it did.

Shadow frowned at his own mental thought.

 _I shouldn't be making up these feelings and attractions. The quicker she gets a job, the quicker she is to moving out with the rest of these fools._

And yet something, that same something that obnoxiously laughed at him every time Shadow denied feelings to anyone, told him he was in denial. Denial to what – he didn't know.

The long silence from outside sparked a bit of wonder in Shadow.

What was going on out there?

Jealousy wound up tight in his chest again. Silver the Goddamn Hedgehog was everywhere now. Wherever Amy was, Silver was probably her shadow or vice versa. The two stuck to each other like glue.

 _What the hell am I saying? I haven't even seen them spend a day together with my own eyes. I'm just making this shit up now._

Was he really making everything up to fuel his jealousy and hate to the white hedgehog even more so than it already was? Possibly. Would he ever admit it? Hell no.

"Still," Silver's voice brought Shadow back into reality, "it was a little strange…"

"I thought she was faking the entire time," Amy whispered against Silver. "But she wasn't. She was actually genuine. And apologetic."

"Maybe one of us changed for the better." The white hedgehog looked up at the cloudy sky. It was probably going to rain, but thankfully they were under the porch roof. "I guess I shouldn't have been so quick to judge," he added. Glancing down, amber eyes softened. "I'm sorry for this morning."

"No big deal…" Amy murmured. It was evident she was falling asleep.

He cracked a small grin. "Do you need to go cuddle up with a certain someone?"

"…" Amy was going to tell her best friend to can it. But she didn't. Instead a soft sigh came out and she asked, "Why is everyone pushing us together? Even you did it today."

"It wasn't like I planned to – that guy was all over you. Blaze doesn't trust Shadow entirely and I trust her judgment." Silver looked out and clenched his jaw. "Not to mention he's more animal than the rest of us. Tails thinks it's because he was artificially created. Maybe something in his DNA. Who knows?"

"What are you saying?" Amy lifted her head up in questioning. "That Tails made me read that dumb Mobian behavior book because he knew Shadow was more animal than us? That something in that book would tell me something? Give me a reason as to why everyone suddenly thinks we should be together?"

"Blaze doesn't think you two should be together, if it's any consolation."

"Well, thanks," Amy sarcastically said as she lied back down on him. He was beginning to be a better leaning post than a friend.

Silver exhaled gently after a minute of silence. It was clear she wasn't happy with anyone. "Tails thought it would…bring out something in you. Something primal as well. Even he's playing matchmaker, Ames."

He felt her anger. "And you did nothing about it?"

"How could I? It was just reading some book. I doubt it worked – you seem perfectly normal to me. You're not jumping Shadow."

Amy blushed at the thought. "I never even thought about being with him-"

"No one does."

"-I'm serious, Silver. Blaze can hate my decision of coming here all she wants. But I know that deep down I was supposed to be here. I never felt like I fit in New York. You can't ask me just to go back and get my life situated out there again."

"It doesn't have to be New York. It could be anywhere. But why here? Why in their lives?" Silver asked. "We just didn't understand why you wanted to live in the past."

"I'm not living in the past, Silver. I'm not looking for a fight," Amy stood and wrapped Shadow's jacket around her tighter at the sudden breeze. It felt good to have his scent around her – like he was standing next to her and defending her in person. But he wasn't. He was in bed, sleeping away. "I'm just living _with_ people _from_ the past. And they accepted me. There's nothing wrong with that."

" _Have_ they accepted you?"

Shadow felt his quills quiver at Silver's inquiry. This white hedgehog was getting more on his nerves as he could sense Amy's frustration with him through the door. He wanted nothing more than to open it, march outside, and tell Silver off. But why? He wasn't doing anything in particular besides pissing Amy off.

 _Something that should be reserved for me only._ Shadow thought smugly as he felt an instinct within him state that his protectiveness over Amy was for a completely different reason.

"Because if you ask me it seems like you're all at each other's throats if Shadow isn't putting on a dominance display."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Amy breathlessly asked. She was partially confused, but a knowing truth told her she knew deep down what Silver was talking about.

"Every single one of us is a mess right now for some unknown reason," Silver stated as he stood, standing taller than her but not necessarily superior to her. "Manic and Sonic are going to snap eventually. It's pretty obvious Sarah's a bit of a hothead herself. You're one too. Shadow can put his foot down all he wants, but he shouldn't have to act like he's Alpha."

"He is."

The white hedgehog was surprised to hear the words come out of Amy's mouth. Amy was surprised too.

She meant to say that Shadow was in charge because it was his house. But the word…

 _Alpha. It seems so…animal._ Amy cringed mentally. But her own instinctive side said that Shadow _was_ Alpha. _But Sonic defies him all the time and so does Sarah. He can't possibly be an Alpha –_

The thought dawned upon her. The way Shadow could so easily turn tables on her and nobody else. He could tower over her, growl at her, do whatever – and she would shrink back and admit defeat without speaking a word.

Because he was controlling her.

Amy bit her bottom lip as Silver saw the flash of understanding across her face.

"I don't know why they see you two together. I don't. I did what I did today to get you away from some high schooler who was hitting on you – because you looked uncomfortable and you're my _friend,_ Amy. I'm not sure why even Tails is going along with this matchmaking thing. It's clearly not working as you have had more tension than romance between the two of you. But I also trust someone like Tails. He has good judgment too."

"But?" Amy was close to tears for some reason. Maybe it was the dream mixing with the harsh reality that Shadow's animalistic side was _controlling_ her like a _mate._ Like they were feral Mobians and not civilized beings.

"They're all so positive that you're good for Shadow. That once Sonic and Sarah get married and leave – Shadow needs someone. And he might. The guy seems lonely, especially in a place like this," Silver motioned to the farm. "It must be pretty boring here."

"You have no idea…"

He looked at her with a serious gaze. "But even with Tails trying to reason, I couldn't help but wonder if _Shadow_ was good for _you."_

Words had probably hardly ever cut Shadow so deep before, but Silver had a way of saying them just right.

He took a shaky step back, staring at the door with wider eyes than usual.

 _She can't stay here…I'm ruining whatever friendship we've created because some part of me is…_

He was disgusted with himself _again._

It wasn't the first time, and something told him it wouldn't be the last. He was revolted that he had just controlled Amy Rose – played the dominating Alpha mate like a feral Mobian back on Mobius.

Shadow could recall the feral Mobians that acted more animal and savage than anything else he'd ever seen. The males were territorial over their mate and children more than actual territory. Trying to get them out of Mobius was a struggle – Knuckles had been assigned the job. In the end, Shadow could recall the echidna hadn't been able to talk all of the feral Mobians into leaving their home planet.

 _They died on that planet, thinking all was right in their own little world. It was probably a better way to go than some had._ Shadow eventually figured as he took a step back. _But I'm not about to create some feral relationship with Amy._

 _I'm not becoming_ that _type of monster._

There was a difference between destroying people while striking fear into their hearts, and destroying the one thing that he would cherish more than his own life.

Shadow's heart beat uncontrollably faster as he thought of it. He could feel the animal within him as soon as he concentrated on it. It was prowling about, waiting for the white hedgehog to turn his back. The hate deep down towards Silver – the jealousy – it told Shadow to eliminate the rival.

He backed up so far he touched the wall that jutted out between the front main room and the living room.

The bolshie hedgehog felt his head lose control for a split second. His fingers shook and his quills quivered.

He could only focus on the fact that the lovely rose flower was outside with another male.

Whatever it was that was controlling Shadow felt mostly dark. A slow moving thing that felt sick and overpowered with lust and hatred. It was easy to piss off.

 _Snap out of it._

Shadow heavily breathed as he opened his eyes. He didn't remember closing them to begin with, but he could see the main room again. His desk where he did the bills, the couches, and the sleeping feline were all still accounted for.

Controlling his breathing, Shadow felt normal once more.

 _That…should never happen again._

He gritted his teeth and furrowed his eyebrows.

 _I can't let Amy in. Even if she starts falling for everyone's games for a split second and feels something towards me – I have to push her away._

He heard the door knob turn. His eyes flashed up quickly to see the metal turning still. "Let's head in. It's been a long day," he heard Amy croak.

 _No matter what. I can't let her get to me._

Amy opened the door and glanced up at the wall.

Turning, she took off the jacket and hung it up. Silver walked past her and simply got on the couch. Amy locked the door and started to walk away.

"Goodnight, Amy."

"Goodnight."

She wasn't in the mood to speak. Amy was still thinking about the fact that Shadow's primal side wanted to have her as a wife. It caused butterflies to erupt in her stomach – and Amy didn't want it to. Sort of.

Halfway down the hall and his scent became stronger.

 _Is it just me or was his scent even by the door?_

She waved it off. Clearly, they were in his house and his house smelled of him – although his aroma was nothing but inviting to her now. Amy bit her lip as she felt herself falling for him.

Scratch that.

The rose hedgehog was tripping down ten flights of stairs for the Ultimate Life Form.

 _Is he good for me?_

 _Well, he's done nothing but help me. I've been the jerk to him if anything, although he can say hurtful things. But he means well, I just know it._

 _He's stubborn and a pain in the ass sometimes but…maybe what they say is true. I mean, he kept me around this long. Something in him likes me – even if he can't logically see it yet. Maybe that means he doesn't know what to do with his emotions._

A small bubbly feeling within her called Love exploded.

And Amy Rose smiled lightly at the fact that maybe Shadow the Hedgehog wasn't that bad at all. Sure, they were a hell of a long way from being anything as serious as Sonic and Sarah – but the sudden possibility of _being_ with Shadow didn't seem all that ridiculous.

 _While he has controlled me, I think it's time to have a talk with him._

 _Maybe we can sort things out even further. Help him stop losing control even past my period. Since that's probably what helped his primal instincts to kick in. Not to mention Mobians at his age normally have kids by now._

Amy decided all of this within seconds at two in the morning and very sleep deprived.

Not a problem, right? Probably not.

She didn't know how well this plan was going to go, but she didn't care for once. She didn't care if Shadow laughed in her face or took her seriously. All she knew was that Love had her wrapped around its finger.

And try as she might, Amy couldn't let go. She had told herself countless time she couldn't like Shadow the Hedgehog. It was odd and never going to happen.

Yet, something now seemed to be asking her, ' _What makes you figure it's odd?'_

 _Well, it's Shadow. We don't mesh like Blaze and Silver do. We'd be even more of an arguing mess than Sonic and Sarah. We certainly aren't cute like Manic and Sunny._

' _You've seen worse couples that have worked. What makes you think a relationship between you and Shadow could never happen?'_

 _Because we're polar opposites! We're a ticking time bomb._ And yet Amy couldn't help but count off the "good qualities" Shadow had and admire him even more so than before. _We couldn't work, could we?_

That small voice in her head was either a sign of craziness or her conscience. All she knew was that it said, ' _You'll never know until you try.'_

And for once, Amy wasn't afraid to get hurt in a relationship. She wasn't going to go looking for the perfect stroll into the sunset.

If people saw Shadow and her working together, maybe they weren't insane fools to be laughed at. Perhaps they knew what they were talking about. Or maybe they just wanted to see Shadow with someone and not alone forever.

Either way, Amy was for once crawling in next to Shadow rather closely.

Feeling the male tense, Amy figured he was wide awake. Leaning over his shoulder, Amy saw his red eyes stare at her blankly. "It went well."

"Hm…"

"We need to talk in the morning."

Shadow could already tell what it was about. Flipping over, he stared at her. "No."

The rose hedgehog scrunched up her nose as anger welled up in her. He was not going to start that dominating thing again. No way, no how –

"We need to talk _now."_

Amy paused and slunk down beside him, "Shadow?" Okay, his scent was by the door and stronger down the hallway for a _reason,_ wasn't it? It wasn't coincidental at all like she had previously thought. She raised an eyebrow. "Were you…eavesdropping?"

"Possibly."

She should have been angry. At least, she figured she should have been. Instead, Amy sighed and lied down on her back, staring at the ceiling. "So, what are we going to do?" she whispered. "If you're losing control like this…"

Shadow felt some sort of pain at that moment.

He wanted Amy to leave. He wanted her to stay away from him to avoid him losing control. He wanted Amy Rose _safe_ from him.

And yet, the Ultimate Life Form had never felt more selfish in his life.

"We'll figure it out," he found he had whispered. Amy still heard though, and from what Shadow sensed – she was content with his response.

Amy turned more towards him and curled up, exhaling in a soft sigh. It was a satisfied sound that made Shadow feel strangely comfortable. The feeling of having her next to him was a feeling he found himself getting used to.

Getting attached to.

At that moment, Love had them both catapulting towards each other at a reckless speed.

Shadow couldn't tell what was happening anymore. His head told him that logically, she needed to go. She needed to stay as far away from him as possible. On the other hand, his heart spoke out that things could be resolved.

But how this certain situation could be resolved was what irked Shadow the Hedgehog.

Or what _should_ have irked him.

And the thought hit him like a brick being swung at his head. He wasn't sure what he entirely thought about the idea – but Shadow wasn't rejecting it immediately. And that part intimidated him.

One way they could resolve the situation so Shadow didn't lose control, was if the two were together. Plain and simple, yet entirely its own adventure probably full of touchy feeling moments he tended to avoid and random useless arguments only spouses had. The idea of being with Amy Rose should have repulsed him or at least made him slightly uncomfortable.

But as said female curled up closer to him, Shadow couldn't bring himself to admit anything.

He felt numb but in an entirely good way – a new way he had never felt. It was Love, again, deciding to play its game on the two although neither could fully see it. Amy saw it more than Shadow. Shadow was still new to the idea of sharing affection with one of the opposite sex.

And Love knew this.

Shadow would need a little push – but not by anyone like Sonic or even Frank Wilson. He would need a push from within himself to fall for the girl.

And Love was about to send the next stage into motion:

Hallucination.

* * *

 _I have no clue if I've written these two "characters" in yet…but with the word 'hallucination,' I'm sure you can all guess who's coming to party soon:_

 _Angel and Devil Shadow. Boom jams._

 _I gotta reread and see if I've written them before in this version. I really don't remember and it's too late in the night to even care. If you readers know off the top of your heads, please tell me. XD And this chapter was…somewhat edited. Honestly, things are getting very confusing right now on where Shadow and Amy's relationship stands. This happened last time with the old version. I can't keep track of those two. XP I don't know why it's so hard for my brain to understand – but it is. Hence why I am rereading this story, I gotta know where I'm at right now. XD_

 _You might also be wondering, 'Was that it with Cream?' Honestly, it's like you guys don't know me. ;) I tend to let the characters remember NEXT chapter. That and honestly - Cream just became a character I didn't see fit in this story anymore. I'm purposely breaking up one of my favorite couples because she just doesn't work with the story. She doesn't do anything. I'll add a flashback next chapter though - no biggie. :) The rabbit can still cause a little drama, thankfully. And you'll finally see Amy and Cream have a little tension. But this chapter was going to be WAY too long. I have to break things apart and put them in different places, but don't mind my random placing - it all works out in the end...eventually! That and we still have Sally and I was just bringing Worthington back into the mix with Samwell. So if you have questions or complaints, keep it to yourself until the story says COMPLETE. Just for my sake because I do have the story's notes written out and I'd rather not see reviews solely focused on, 'You haven't talked about Cream in the last two chapters.' Yeah, well, I don't talk to my cat for several days either and we're still both fine._

 _ALL WILL BE REVEALED IN DUE TIME, PEEPS. But really, chapter 20, 21, and 22 are one long ass chapter split into three parts. We'll get to Cream. I know, I'm a tease. ;)_

 _Thank you, readers, so much for the support! Spread those positive vibes!_

 _Arrivederci!_


	22. Hallucination

**STH © SEGA/Archie**

 **Sarah, Peter, Samwell, Rosemary, & the Wilson Family © Cozy Shadow **

**(This chapter: Walter, Leyla, and Timothy belong to me as well!)**

 **Flame, Petunia, Jeffery, and Sunny © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands or names (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _Remember to check out the NEW poll since I had to redo the old poll!_

 _I kind of want to do a one-shot of ShadAmy fluff to get back into the groove of things. Thoughts?_

 _This chapter shall forever be nicknamed 'The Bitch,' because it was a bitch to write, and I'm not talking about the length. I had to redo this chapter and fix so many things with the story notes in general (still revising)._

 _Apologies for being so late at updating, but I hope this chapter is satisfactory enough! Idk though - every chapter I write is cringe worthy for me! XP_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Two:**

 **Hallucination**

Red numbers blared out at Amy, showing her it was _way_ past her bedtime.

Shadow snoozed next to her, completely oblivious to the fact that the pink hedgehog beside him was wide awake still. At least he wasn't dreaming of llamas.

Amy stared up at the ceiling, contemplating about things. About Shadow and his issue. About what Silver said. About Cream.

Cream, at the moment, was on her mind.

Shadow had told Amy they'd figure it out, so she let the issue of dominance display slide for now. Silver had her questioning if Shadow was good for her, but she still didn't quite care. Shadow never really gave her a reason to _think_ he wouldn't be good for her. And Cream…

Well, while the rabbit wasn't joining in on the matchmaking, she had thought Shadow and Amy would look cute together.

 _Flashback_

" _So, you went and moved in with them?"_

" _Yeah. Blaze thinks it was absurdly rude to disrupt their lives like that, but it felt right, you know?" Amy took down a book from the shelf as the aroma of coffee wafted up to her nose._

 _Cream stood not too far away as Silver and Tails were in a different aisle – the sci-fi aisle. She glanced down at her shoes. "I didn't realize being separated from them was hard for you. I thought all about myself when we moved away, and separated from you, that I never imagined how it felt to see Sonic leave."_

" _Well, you already saw me heartbroken when he was with Sally," Amy shrugged. "It wasn't anything too bad compared to that sob fest."_

" _Right," Cream sat down in a nearby chair. "That's where you replaced me with Silver because he was older and seemed to understand, I guess…"_

" _That's a reasonable assumption." Amy put the book back and exhaled sharply. "I can't imagine how it felt when we went our separate ways, Cream. I had Silver and then Blaze, but you only had your mother."_

" _Eventually Vector, and he's really nice. Espio occasionally drops in. We see him during holidays mostly."_

" _Charmy?"_

" _In some private school that Espio pays for with his job as a detective. Vector stays home with Sammy while Mom works at the bakery a few blocks from home."_

 _The rose female stood next to the rabbit. "Still…You lost your best friend, and yes, I sooner or later replaced that spot with Silver. But we grew apart and went on with our lives so much that it was something that was inevitable."_

" _I know."_

" _Tails said you hung out with…different people," Amy sat on the arm of the chair. "But your new friend didn't seem too different or from the wrong crowd."_

" _I have some preppy friends, but Vector says I'm the kid that gets along with everyone."_

 _Amy smiled as she lightly laughed. "That's true. You were always so welcoming as a child; I had imagined you wouldn't be any different as a teenager." She glanced down at Cream. "I'm glad to see you haven't changed so drastically like everyone says."_

" _Like everyone says? Is that Tails talking or Sonic?"_

" _Mostly Shadow feeding me bits and pieces," Amy shrugged. "Sonic hasn't spoken about you, but I can tell there's a rift between you two. A nasty one. What happened?"_

" _Well, when Tails figured out what I had done," Cream's tone quieted, "Sonic was furious with me. While my mother gave me a lecture, Vector stayed out of it. He tried to ward off Sonic, but Sonic was so angry that I knew he needed to let it all out before he took it out on someone else that wasn't a part of the problem."_

" _Like Shadow or Sarah."_

 _Cream nodded. "Exactly."_

 _People walked past them in the aisle of romance themed books, but no one gave them looks. No one even seemed to notice that it was Amy Rose and Cream the Rabbit – heroes of Earth that once stood alongside Sonic the Hedgehog. The most they noticed was pink out of the corner of their eyes._

 _But if one had looked a bit more, they would see two friends that hadn't seen each other in years. Two friends that had years of separation between them and were reunited – one with a motherly gaze to the younger one, who had an expression akin to guilt and regret._

" _So, you let Sonic just yell at you?"_

" _It was for the best. I figured it would let him get out his frustration. I thought he would come around like Tails did. Tails eventually accepted my apology, but…Sonic never did." Tears prickled at Cream's eyes. Amy gritted her teeth. "The boy I had once looked up to as a hero had turned into a man that turned his back on me. I don't blame him. I hurt his little brother with one selfish, childish, dumb act."_

" _That doesn't give Sonic a reason to forget about you like that," Amy shook her head in anger towards the blue hedgehog. "That doesn't give him the right to shut you out from not only his life but Tails'. Tails is secretly talking to you, isn't he?"_

" _He was. But…we've grown distant, Amy. It's not like how it was to begin with. I thought maybe I could fix what I had done and win him back or at least make amends with Sonic. But he grew up faster than I did." Cream brought her knees to her chest as she curled up in the chair. "I screwed up, but I want to at least have some closure before he moves on with his life. I don't want to say goodbye to another person again because it hurts too much."_

 _At that moment, Amy felt terrible._

 _She had stayed in touch with Silver and Blaze as they traveled for Silver's career. She had even stayed in touch with Rouge of all people. With Knuckles. She hadn't stayed in touch with Cream. That connection faltered and was eventually lost._

 _But not for good._

 _Amy grabbed Cream's hand and offered her a warm smile. "No matter what happens, Cream, I'm not going to leave you behind again. Call me, write me – anything. I'll be there."_

 _The rabbit gave her a genuine grin back. Cream hugged onto Amy's arm as Amy returned the embrace the best she could. "Thank you, Amy."_

 _Pulling away, Cream looked up at her old friend with hopeful eyes. "I want some time to talk to Tails, if you don't mind. Alone? I just…I still care about him, and I always will. But I want that closure so badly, Amy. I don't want him to disappear forever, and I want to make sure he's okay with keeping in touch at least – even if things never get romantic again."_

 _The corner of her lips twitched up in a smile. "I figured you'd want to speak with him."_

" _I've been asked out to an upcoming dance," Cream lightened the mood. "He's a nice boy from my class. Mom's helped me pick out a dress already and everything. I'm excited, even if I don't have the faintest clue what love is. I'm only a kid."_

" _Yeah," Amy chortled along with the rabbit for a moment. "I've been there before."_

 _A moment passed between them where they simply stared at one another with a loving emotion in their eyes – a sisterly bond mending itself._

 _Brown eyes suddenly filled up with curiosity as Cream smirked. The sight of the rabbit smirking caught Amy off guard. It was odd seeing how much she had grown._

" _And do you know what love is, Amy?"_

" _What?" She was straight-faced again._

" _You said everyone was acting as if you and Shadow were together."_

 _Amy couldn't believe it. Even Cream was about to fall for the matchmaking position. She couldn't let a sixteen-year-old be a part of that! There was no way she'd allow any more people try to push her and Shadow together!_

 _Any more and the two might actually bump into each other and kiss._

 _She blushed at the thought, but Cream saw it as a blush towards her statement. "I thought you said you weren't attracted to him? Seems like you are."_

" _C-Cream. It's complicated." Amy tugged one of her quills, thinking back to the dream with the child that looked exactly like Shadow – Shadow's child. Her child._ Their _child. "I'm pretty sure we've insulted each other more than complimented each other. Enough people are trying to play matchmaker as it is, I don't need you to join them."_

" _I won't."_

" _Good."_

"…"

"…"

 _She felt it coming._

 _Amy could sense Cream was on the verge of either embarrassing her or asking more questions. The rose hedgehog bit her tongue and glanced around for Silver or Tails. The two were probably engrossed in a sci-fi novel by now that they'd be no use to her._

 _Amy Rose was about to be interrogated about her love life from a sixteen-year-old that had just admitted they didn't know what love really was._

 _Oh, the fates were so damn cruel._

" _Why don't you compliment him instead?"_

 _Amy concealed her annoyed groan. She almost let it slip until she thought about the question._

 _Why hadn't she tried to compliment Shadow more? Or at least appeal to him in some way? After all, she had stated to others that Shadow did have nice qualities, but she had never complimented him on them. Probably because he would have just laughed or ignored her._

 _She frowned. "Well, I don't know. We clash more than we mesh right now, okay?"_

" _Then why don't you stop clashing? Why don't you try to be nicer to him when you get back?"_

" _Cream. We've reconciled right now. I don't want to say something wrong or weird – or if he gets the wrong idea – or -"_

" _Not for romantic purposes. Maybe you two should get to know one another better. Maybe then you won't insult each other so much."_

' _He already knows I was a stripper and no one knows that,' Amy grumbled in thought. 'I say we know plenty about one another already. And we've accepted each other, so what's the big deal?'_

" _It's mostly me," Amy confessed. "I've been a terrible guest, or was, but I'm making up for it. For now, we're on a fresh start."_

 _She was offered an encouraging smile. "I kind of think you two would look cute together."_

 _The pink female was beyond speechless._

 _Her mouth turned dry as she tried to think of a response. Her lips barely parted as a sound caught in her throat._

 _Never in a million years would she have thought Cream of all people would tell her that. Cream had just said that her and Shadow would look cute together. Her and Shadow the Hedgehog. Amy Rose and Shadow the Hedgehog. It wasn't a typical looking couple._

 _Then again, Amy wasn't the typical kind of gal._

' _Stop it, Amy.' She chided herself for even thinking about it anymore. 'We're just friends. Let's keep it that way to not screw anything up. We can't afford any more mistakes or we'll be on the curb.'_

" _Um…Heh," Amy tried to laugh the comment off. "Well, I guess people are entitled to their opinions."_

" _And yours?"_

 _Amy stared at the teenager with another look of shock. Was all of this talk really coming from Cream the Rabbit or was Amy losing it?_

 _Biting her lip, Amy thought long and hard about the question._

' _Shadow has nice qualities – that's already been established. I'm physically attracted to him to say the least. He's financially stable and good with kids. He's probably never been in a relationship and wouldn't even know where to start…'_

 _But the sudden idea of being Shadow the Hedgehog's first in anything and everything intimate made butterflies erupt in Amy's stomach. She was pretty sure she was blushing at the thought._

' _He could have kicked me out or yelled at me sooner, but he tried to stay levelheaded. While I'm not sure why, it was rather kind and different of him. Sonic and Tails have changed him over the years whether he's noticed or not.' Amy continued to mull the notion over until a part of her didn't mind the idea of holding Shadow's hand or cuddling up to his warm body._

 _She swallowed heavily. "I-"_

 _End of Flashback_

Amy was jolted back into reality and out of the memory when an arm snaked around her.

Shadow turned in his sleep, dragging her closer. At least, she hoped he was still asleep. His nose burrowed into her quills as he nuzzled her like a pillow.

Amy hadn't told him, but Shadow was a cuddler.

If he knew the truth, he would probably deny it, but the way he always found her in the middle of the night and pulled her closer was enough to send her schoolgirl fantasies through the roof.

While Amy continued to stare at the walls of the dark room, she was unaware of Shadow's right arm until it gripped her waist and pulled her flush against him. She was blushing at this point, but even more so when he continued to nuzzle her in his sleep. His right arm came up and rested on her stomach as she lied on her back.

When his nuzzling ceased, and he was finally comfortable, Amy moved her head to nestle against his chest. His chest fur was always a soft pillow to her, even from the side. He was welcoming and warm.

As Cream left her thoughts, there was nothing else going on her brain at the moment besides Shadow.

Just Shadow.

Her left hand crept towards his right, which still rested on her stomach. Moving slowly, Amy brought her fingers to brush his. He flinched a little, but only tugged at her shirt as his fingers grasped the material.

Amy bit her lip.

She waited a few seconds before softly touching her fingertips against his, looping them through and loosening his grip on her shirt. His fingers linked their hands together as he turned his palm upwards a tad.

Sparks didn't fly anymore.

Instead, warmth spread through her. One that Amy could only explain as a liking towards Shadow. She wasn't ready to call it love – as it could simply be an infatuation. It wasn't scientifically "love" until after four months or so anyway. At least, that's what the hopeless romantic had learned and lived by.

Unfortunately, their hands linked together made her almost forget that rule of hers – the rule she had made up in New York so she wouldn't fall heads over heels for men like she had with Sonic.

She was slipping up.

 _I should take my hand away from his. I shouldn't be doing this. I should get out of the bed and sleep on the couch._

Amy bit her lip and closed her eyes, pushing her nose into his chest fur. She willed her head to stop hurting, to stop thinking so fast, and to cherish the moment. The feeling.

It should've felt so wrong. So, why did it feel so right?

 _Friends don't sleep in the same bed like this._

Shadow draped his right leg over her legs and brought her even closer. Amy did her best not to purr as he nuzzled her neck again. She bit her lip harder.

 _But that's not what we are, is it?_

Amy could only softly sigh in content, even as Shadow's movement ceased.

 _I'm falling in love with Shadow the Hedgehog._

* * *

Shadow was confused.

He didn't normally wake up with his fingers entwining with another's.

It was an odd feeling that made some sort of butterfly impact go on in his stomach. He didn't like it – didn't like that he was so vulnerable to these feelings – to _her._

Amy's chest rose and fell in a rhythm that showed she was in a deep sleep still. She looked exhausted, and Shadow wondered if she had even gotten _any_ sleep last night. It was almost five in the morning. It was almost time to get up and start the day before the sun did. Yet Shadow didn't feel like moving.

Red eyes stared at their connected hands.

He hadn't done it intentionally. Honestly, Shadow didn't know how it happened. While Amy rested on his chest, her arm now folded so their hands rested on his stomach. Somewhere in the night, his hand must have clasped over hers and their fingers had entwined.

And they fit perfectly.

Shadow had never looked more perplexed at anything in his life, and he felt it. Swallowing, he leaned against her even more so.

 _What is going on?_

 _Stirrings…Feelings…Things that shouldn't be happening between us are continuing to happen._

He should've told her to leave last night – to get a job quickly and move the hell out. Instead, he was selfish.

 _I should have kept her away from me, but instead I just pulled her closer._

His heart and head weren't thinking at the same rate anymore, and one was certainly being less logical. It was driving him up the wall. Why couldn't things balance out?

The dark hedgehog browsed down at the sleeping female.

 _She looks so innocent…so flawless and content…_

Her hand curled tighter around his. Shadow found himself sinking further into the bed, into the pillow, into this reverie that was entering reality. Amy wasn't helping at all as her hand grasped his completely and she turned so much that her legs tangled with his.

… _Mine. She looks so mine._

A painful feeling rushed through him.

He knew this shouldn't be happening – this thing blossoming between them. He should've had more self-control as the Ultimate Life Form, but things changed over the years, and by God, he might have accidentally let affection win in this situation.

Amy Rose.

She was a handful. There were plenty of things Shadow disliked about her. The way she marched right in and insulted him – _those_ particular moments bugged him. But she had apologized whereas no one else ever had.

How could these feelings for her have occurred if all she did was insult him?

Shadow was beyond confused.

Deciding a shower would clear away thoughts; Shadow slipped out of her grasp and got up from the bed.

The animals could wait a few more minutes, he figured. He simply couldn't be in the same room as Amy right now or his brain wouldn't work properly.

Yeah, that was his excuse.

Unfortunately, even the hot water running down his back and easing his muscles didn't help much. Shadow stood under the water for a few minutes with his eyes closed. He hoped the running water wouldn't wake up the rose hedgehog in his bed.

 _That…feels odd to say._ He grimaced at the thought. _I shouldn't be thinking like this – these stirrings. Ugh. To hell with them._

"You don't actually mean that, Shadow boy."

His eyes shot wide as he glanced around the shower.

No.

He was imagining things now – no one was in his _bathroom_ and talking.

Shadow groaned and rubbed his eyes awake before grabbing the shampoo. The quicker he got out of the shower, the less he would feel like someone was watching him.

 _Perhaps the shower was a bad idea. I'm going crazy._

"So, it would seem."

"Ah!" Shadow was actually caught off guard. The Ultimate Life Form – _surprised._

It was a different voice this time, although it all sounded like echoes of him talking in the shower. But it wasn't. Shadow certainly wasn't speaking out loud.

"Not necessarily," the first voice spoke. It was a rather more laidback version of Shadow speaking. A hint more of sarcasm and wittiness, if possible, was in the voice as well.

The second voice was more proper speaking. Sounded like a version of Shadow that stood straight with his nose always in the air. Shadow scoffed at the idea of such a posh version of himself.

"How rude," the second voice mumbled as the first voice cackled in his other ear.

Shadow growled under his breath, "What the hell?"

"Well, I could take you there if you'd like." A sudden puffing sound and there was a figure on his left shoulder. A mini-version of himself sat on his bare shoulder.

The tiny, red eyes stared at Shadow blankly. "What?"

He couldn't quite make out any words, only an odd sound, as he leaned on his right shoulder, staring at the strangely dressed miniature version of himself. The horns poking out next to the small ears, the hedgehog tail that was replaced with a red, long tail with a spike at the end, and the red trident were all clear indications that Shadow was off his rockers.

The Devil Shadow on his shoulder sighed and stood up. "What? You never hallucinated before, Shadow boy?"

In that moment, Shadow gained his posture and glared at the little thing that was supposedly him. " _Get off."_

It smirked.

The minuscule ingrate had the guts to flash _his_ smirk at him. Shadow scowled. "You're not real," he hissed with eyes narrowed. "Just leave me be."

Tiny red eyes flashed with something more than just humor – evil. "Oh, how cute. You're trying to get rid of your own conscience just to ignore your feelings for Amy Rose."

This thing was going to be plucked off his shoulder and flung across the bathroom at the rate it was going. The Devil Shadow made himself comfortable as Shadow stood under the running water.

After a moment of silence, Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Leave already," he kept hissing under his breath.

The last thing he wanted was Amy to knock on the bathroom door and ask if someone was in there. Shadow would probably look like a great fool for talking to himself like this in the shower.

Devil Shadow pursed his lips in thought and then shook his head. "Can't. Waiting for the second guy."

"The what –"

"How kind of you."

Shadow _really_ hoped that second voice wasn't coming from his right shoulder and wasn't dressed in a white robe. He whipped his head over to glare at the right shoulder and found nothing to his delight.

"He's over there, dimwit."

Glowering at Devil Shadow, he followed the pointing finger to where the shampoo once was. Instead of the shampoo bottle, which remained in Shadow's tightening fist, another miniature version of himself sat on the shelf softly playing a harp that made no sound.

"Both of you leave me alone."

"He's so grouchy in the morning," Angel Shadow never once looked at its original. Instead, he gazed off into the distance while plucking at the harp's strings. Wings folded against his back and a glowing halo floated above his head.

Shadow didn't like either of them from the start.

Devil Shadow looked like he was as much trouble as Sonic. Angel Shadow spoke so monotonously and like Captain Obvious that it reminded him somewhat of Sarah.

"We are neither Sonic nor Sarah," Angel Shadow pitched in. "We are your thoughts, Shadow. Your thoughts that are mostly clouded with images of the pink hedgehog and filled with the desire to have her."

" _Shut up_ ," Shadow growled as he chose to ignore the snicker from Devil Shadow.

"Tell us, Shadow boy," the one with the red aura said as he suddenly floated up with ragged torn black wings. The evil glint still appeared in his eyes. "Would you _really_ want to see someone else with Amy love?" he tilted his head as he managed to fly upside down.

Shadow could figure out the other emotion in the Devil Shadow's eyes: lust. He glanced at Angel Shadow in hopes of finding something more sincere towards the rose flower, but only saw the blank look. At least he was looking at Shadow now, but the blank look that lacked any emotion seemed to freeze him to the core.

 _But that means –_

"Yes, while my opposite seems to be the one in control of…" he stretched in wings for a moment in search of the right word, "…your emotions to the pink hedgehog, I disagree with the idea of being with her entirely."

Yet another surprise that morning for Shadow.

Devil Shadow seemed to hiss at Angel Shadow. "Coward."

"We lust after the pink hedgehog," Angel Shadow scoffed with disgust and sarcasm, "Congratulations."

Shadow shut his eyes tightly, wishing for the pair to leave. He wanted his silence. He didn't need these little _things_ popping up now or ever again.

"We do not-"

"Yes, we do-"

" _Leave."_

…

…

…

Silence.

Shadow opened his eyes calmly to see neither of them there. It was all in his thoughts.

Catching his breath that he hadn't realized he'd lost, Shadow placed the shampoo bottle back on the shelf. Standing under the water any longer was sure to bring both of the nuisances back. Quickly, he turned off the water and got dressed.

He took one glance to see Amy still asleep, and then he left.

Things were getting out of hand.

* * *

She'd been thinking about the kid again.

Twisting her fork, forgetting about the plate of eggs in front of her, Sarah pondered on the one thing that kept her up all night: the little girl.

 _The more I think about her, the more I'm convinced she's related to Scourge. She had the same look, but pink like her mother. The blue eyes definitely resembled Scourge's – only more welcoming. And her quills…well, her mother had similarities there but so does Scourge._

 _And the fact that I've never seen a pink hedgehog before until Amy showed up. And then this Rosy person shows up, too. And the kid – what was her name?_

 _Rosemary. That's right. Typical._ Sarah found herself snorting as to not roll her eyes. It was a generic name for someone who had a parent named Rosy. It only made sense. _Couldn't name her Janet or any other normal name. Had to be an odd one._

But apparently Rosy knew Sonic.

Sarah frowned at that part. Mentally frowned, that is. She could sense the odd glances Sonic was giving her as the others ate in peace. Her mate was getting a sense that Sarah was thinking deeply about something – and he wanted to know what it was out of curiosity.

Still, she hadn't spoken to Sonic about anything last night. Another thought had hit her before she opened her mouth to tell Sonic before they went to bed.

 _Amy. The two looked so alike, what if they're related or something?_

Sarah vaguely looked up on her fiancé and his team. She wasn't a big history junkie when it came to them. Everything else, sure – she dabbled. But not on the Sonic Team or the time they saved Earth while watching Mobius get destroyed. She didn't need to look up anything more on that – she had lived it.

Fortunately, Sarah knew one thing – mostly because of a star struck young brother who adored and worshipped the Sonic Team (at least when he was a child). The one thing she _did_ remember at the moment was that Scourge was Sonic's anti.

 _So…what if this Rosy person is Amy's anti? I mean, it would make sense – especially if Rosy and Scourge had a daughter together. It would explain all the similarities the kid had with Scourge. Granted, I didn't take a long time to look at her face. Still. It's a little fishy._

That night, Sarah had devised a plan that she hoped would work. Luckily, the Aries was a smooth talker and very persuasive. That and the female didn't let Shadow stomp around like he owned _everything._

 _But he does seem quieter this morning._ Sarah pursed her lips in thought. Everyone was quiet.

Silver and Amy weren't even talking about their visit to see Cream. She didn't blame them though as Sonic still didn't like the rabbit and probably didn't want to hear about her two mornings in a row.

That was beside the point – Sarah had a mission.

Placing her elbows on the table, the lime green hedgehog turned her attention to the silent Amy Rose. Tilting her head, brown eyes watched rather warmly.

It was in this time that not only Amy felt someone watching her, but Sonic lifted his head up a bit further as if to question his fiancée. Sarah paid no attention to him, however.

"Amy, I need help with an art project today at school. Would you like to accompany me?"

Oh, Sonic knew she was up to something.

For starters, Sarah never used big words unless she was trying to confuse someone or get something she wanted - or both. He just couldn't tell _what_ it was at the moment.

The rose hedgehog stopped chewing, swallowed, and then set her fork down. "Wouldn't Manic be better for this sort of thing? He does have more experience with art."

"They're preschoolers. You're probably the best one with little kids in this room, and I don't want things to get too messy."

It was true. That was probably why it was so easy for Sarah to pull Amy in.

"But Shadow might need help today –"

"I believe Sunny is perfectly capable of filling in your shoes."

Sunny offered Amy a small smile. "I like doing the farm work, honestly. Go ahead, Amy. It's not like you had anything planned today, did you?"

"Not really, but…"

"But what?" Sarah raised an eyebrow.

The others were merely listening or watching.

The Ultimate Life Form wasn't playing oblivious for once as he observed Sarah. Like Sonic, Shadow could read Sarah inside and out. She was up to something. But if it got Amy out of his way so his instincts could settle down, Shadow figured it wouldn't hurt. That and Amy seemed to be dying of boredom every day.

"I haven't been to a school like that, ever," Amy confessed with a decent amount of nervousness. "What if the teachers look at me weird or something?"

"Who cares?" This time, it was Shadow speaking. He stared at the rose hedgehog, mindful of keeping his animalistic side at bay and not forcing her to get outside. Silver was surely watching like a hawk right now. "Sunny and Manic know the ropes – or at least the former does – and getting out and about in this town to meet new people wouldn't hurt you."

Amy raised an eyebrow at him, "Says the anti-social farmer who stays home all day."

"I know more people here than you think. I know more people around here than Tails or Sonic – and they've been here longer."

"Surprising how farming makes you _have_ to be social from time to time," Sonic pitched in with a light laugh. "Amy, I don't think it's a bad idea. It's just helping little kids."

"Yeah, I can borrow you for one day, can't I?" Sarah laughed. "Besides, it'll only be until noon or so, I figure. Shadow can pick you up at lunch."

Amy bit her lip and looked across the table at Blaze and Silver. Silver merely shrugged. "Go ahead. I plan to sleep all day."

Blaze's nod was in agreement with Silver. Amy smiled softly and sighed. Giving in, the pink female said, "Sure, why not?"

Sarah simply grinned, but even Sonic could tell it was a little sly smirk. But it wasn't the question that Sarah got to ask Amy now that made her smirk – it was something entirely different that put a funny image in her mind.

 _Oh, she has no idea what she is getting into with these kids._

* * *

Amy regretted everything.

"Okay, maybe we shouldn't use all of the glitter," she softly said while trying to pry the bottle out of the hands of a fox. The little girl was obstinate though.

"But I want to!" she screeched.

Her friend, a minx, started to join in. "Yeah, let us use the glitter, _pleeeeease!"_

Amy groaned. _How on Earth does Sarah deal with all of these kids?! She doesn't even like kids!_

"Alright, that's enough."

The glitter bottle was plucked from both of their hands and held up in the air. Sarah grasped the bottle as she raised an eyebrow at the two girls. "Why do you need the _whole_ bottle?"

"We love sparkles," the fox calmed down upon seeing her teacher. It wasn't easy to get away with things when she was under Sarah's watchful eye.

"Yes, but does your mother love sparkles?"

"Well…Um…" the little girl clasped her hands and played with her fingers while trying to think of an answer. "Mommy says they get everywhere."

"So maybe we should use as little as possible, hm?"

"Okay…" Her ears drooped but at least Sarah gave her the bottle back. "C'mon, Jeanie!" She ran away to her desk with the minx following right behind.

The lime green hedgehog then took a moment to stare at Amy – who was on the floor at this point hating her decision. "I thought you were good with kids."

"Petunia and Jeffery are nothing like these rambunctious kids. I thought they got better with age," Amy stood and groaned, stretching. "I already had to stop Timothy from eating the fish," she pointed to the fish tank where the goldfish swam around in circles.

"Yeah, he has a problem with that – don't let him do that," Sarah pitched in as they stared at the little panther. He was probably more like a baby than any of the others, still sucking his thumb.

Amy narrowed her eyebrows in question. "Why does he act like that?" she whispered.

"Like what?"

"More…animal."

"Timothy has a higher animalistic gene of some sort – something like that," Sarah waved it off. "His parents explained it to me once, but I didn't care to jot it down. I figure let the kids be kids. Timothy is smart, but he has more animalistic connections to people. He sucks his thumb because he misses his mother still."

The panther was quiet while he worked, making a mess of the markers on the late Valentine's Day cards. The shamrocks for an early St. Patrick's Day were next to him, still needing attention.

"I feel so bad, no one is hanging out with him," Amy frowned as she held her arm. "I tried to sit with him, but he just looked annoyed."

"He likes his solitude, so what?" Sarah snorted. "He's one of the smartest kids in the class because of his higher instincts."

"His what?"

"I don't know – again, the parents went off on some twenty-page essay and expected me to remember it all these past months. I just let him chill in here during lunch. He seemed perfectly fine with it."

"But he has no friends."

"Not true," Sarah eyed two kids that were acting a little suspicious. "Another kid from Mr. Worthington's class hangs out with him. The two have similar…animalistic traits, I guess you could call it."

Amy was about to say something but stopped immediately as her eyes went wider. "Wait, did you just say-"

"Amy, excuse me. I've got some rascals to attend to," Sarah walked off too quickly to catch the kids trying to write on each other in marker.

"…Worthington," Amy whispered with a fearful look in her eyes.

 _Oh, no…That's where I heard it from – from Sarah._

A little hand suddenly grasped hers, causing Amy to jump. A black hedgehog stared up at her with blue eyes and a soft smile. His quills were long and sloped down.

"Could you, um, help me, please?"

Amy stopped to think. She glanced back at Sarah and decided Worthington could wait.

She followed the child back to his desk, which was in the back of the classroom on the last row. While most of the kids jumbled together up front, he remained in the back with another hedgehog that was similar to him. Very similar.

"Are you two twins?"

"Hmhm," the boy nodded. "I'm Walter."

Amy smiled at the little girl across from him. She stared down at her hearts. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"She's Leyla. She doesn't speak much," the boy replied as he handed Amy glue and his paper hearts. "I can't get the, uh, bottle to work."

Amy took it and glanced over at Timothy again.

The idea of a child with animalistic behavior made her curious. Why did Timothy's sudden actions remind her of the child from her dream? The panther hardly spoke and used motions or sounds an actual panther would use to communicate. He had already growled once today.

"Um…Do you know the boy over there?" she asked the four-year-old.

"Hmhm," Walter went to coloring his shamrocks. They had different patterns on them, but he liked coloring them all blue and red. "That's Timothy. He doesn't talk much either."

Amy pursed her lips as she shook the bottle. The glue wasn't coming out, and it wasn't clogged or empty. She took a glimpse at Timothy again, who continued to sit all by himself a few rows away.

A growling sound brought Amy back to Walter and Leyla. The little girl snapped at her brother – an actual snap with bared teeth. Amy narrowed her eyebrows and was about to intervene.

"What?" Walter hissed under his breath at her. "You're not even using the orange."

Leyla let out a low growl as she glared at her brother. Eventually, she turned away but rolled the orange crayon over to him. Amy watched with amazement. Did Sarah know Leyla was like Timothy?

"Is your sister like Timothy?"

"Mom calls it a big word I can't remember."

"Animalistic?"

"Yeah, that." He ignored Amy for the most part, completely focused on his crayon and coloring the shamrocks.

"She can't control it?"

"She doesn't speak," Walter shrugged. "Dad says she'll speak soon, though. She knows how to speak, but she doesn't like to or somethin'."

Amy hummed in thought as she stared at Leyla. The little girl glanced up at her before quickly looking back down. She grabbed the pink crayon and went about her business, coloring the hearts. Amy looked over at Sarah and caught the teacher's eye. Motioning to Leyla, Amy raised an eyebrow and then pointed to Timothy with the glue bottle.

Sarah only furrowed her eyebrows and shrugged, clearly not understanding Amy.

The pink hedgehog sighed exasperatedly. Walter leaned over with an impatient look. "Did you fix it?"

"No. I'm going to talk to your teacher – maybe get a new one, okay?"

"Okay." He sounded too preoccupied with the shamrocks again to even care.

Amy walked over to Sarah, who was leaning against the counter wall near the fish tank. The lime green hedgehog raised her brow. "What were the motions for? Doing some chicken dance?"

"Did you know Leyla is like Timothy?"

"Oh, yeah. I almost forget about her, she's so quiet. Timothy will at least talk from time to time. Leyla…I don't think I've ever heard her speak a single word."

"Really?"

"Really. But, it's just a phase. Eventually, the kids are supposed to come around and act more civilized around this age. I've had some in the past years. They're intelligent children for preschoolers, but they act differently. I let them do what they want, like I said."

Amy wasn't concerned about Worthington at the moment. "You don't think that's hurting the children though? These years are crucial when it comes to fitting in."

"Amy, everyone in this town knows everyone. All of these kids will be in cliques that will expand more and more by the time they hit high school. Preschool isn't anything to worry about. They color, put blocks together, learn their ABC's, count to ten – it's not junior high."

"Still. Timothy is lonely. Leyla only communicates with her brother, Walter. Why isn't he like her if they're twins?"

"He didn't get the gene."

"It's a gene?" Amy raised her voice a little but toned it down even though no kids were looking. "Does that mean Shadow has it?"

"Look, every Mobian is hardwired with it," Sarah snorted. "We're animals, bottom line, with human characteristics, Amy. Some Mobians portray animalistic behavior more than others."

"I know – I read the book Tails' lent me on the whole animalistic behavior."

"That was the book? From Ally Scorn, or should I say, Sally Acorn?"

"You know about her?"

"Of course I know about her. I don't live under _that_ big of a rock, ya know." Sarah snorted with a slight shrug. "That and I'm kind of intrigued with the idea. Yes, I didn't quite listen to Timothy's parents, but that's because I already knew the majority of it. Sally states in the second book that if children have it, it's passed down from their parents. Feral Mobians on Mobius that came to Earth are more prone to having children like that. Leaving them as is and letting them grow on their own is the normal way of handling children with animalistic behavior. They really don't mind being alone because they learn faster than others. It's a pro to the whole thing."

"But they're by themselves."

"Amy," Sarah grabbed her shoulder. "No, they're not. Timothy gets along with the other kids just fine. He _chooses_ not to hang out with them. Leyla hangs out with Walter because he's her sense of comfort and home. Yes, Walter gets annoyed with it and runs off with his own friends from time to time, but Leyla _will_ play with the other kids as well. Granted, Timothy and Leyla don't talk much if at all. But they really are bright kids."

The pink hedgehog folded her arms. "You keep talking about their intelligence like it's really something. Is it?"

"Two years ago, I had a kid named Redd. His parents were feral Mobians that live out in Sawyer now – nice family. I occasionally talk to the mother still. Redd's father works for Frank, actually. They warned me about his behavior. Now, while he didn't get along with the kids because of his "mine" problem that every kid goes through, he was a _genius_. Amy, I kid you not."

Amy smirked in disbelief, "A genius?"

"He was a _preschooler_ that knew addition and subtraction up to the number 20 – most of these kids come here barely knowing how to count past 10. He knew every state in the U.S. at two and half years old, Amy. He _loved_ to learn. He had some photographic memory or something. I've never taught a kid that was that advanced for preschool. Mr. Worthington was shocked and worked with the kid, too."

She stopped again at the name, but shook her head. Amy could talk about it later during lunch. Not right now – she could feel Walter's glare. "Um, do you have a glue bottle? Walter's isn't working."

"Yeah, up front." Sarah motioned to the front desk with all the supplies that should have been obvious to Amy from the start. As the teacher went off to help another kid, Amy grabbed the glue bottle and looked at Timothy and then Leyla.

Leyla was showing Walter her hearts as he smiled. Amy couldn't help but grin a little at seeing Leyla giggle as her brother said something. The rose hedgehog watched the scene in wonder.

 _Is that how Shadow's kids will be if he ever settles down?_ The thought should have pained Amy. The thought of Shadow being with another had pained her before. But this time, she hadn't thought about him being with another.

 _Is that how the kid in the dream was? Is that how mine and Shadow's kid would be?_ Amy bit her lip.

She was filled with images of Shadow being with _her._ Having kids with _her._ Being a family with _her._ Amy didn't even try to snap out of it. It was a warming picture and she found herself falling for it. Thinking that maybe, just maybe, that could be the future for her.

 _Being with Shadow and having a family doesn't sound so bad. Maybe all these matchmakers really aren't crazy. Maybe we're just not crazy enough to see what they see._

Love had Amy in its clutches now, and it had done so by using children – something Amy couldn't resist. Now, the hedgehog was about as crazy as the matchmakers that saw her and Shadow together, but she didn't care.

Unfortunately, she was forgetting that Love didn't come easy, and was a game of give or take.

"Hey!" Walter waved Amy back into reality. "Did you get one?!"

"I've got it!" Amy laughed as she raised the bottle and walked over to the two. Timothy glanced up at the yell Walter gave. The panther raised an eyebrow at Amy as she walked by.

Ruffling his hair, Amy offered him a grin that he surprisingly, yet slightly, returned.

"And this one works, I promise!"

* * *

It wasn't noon when Shadow left the house, but he had nothing better to do.

Sunny and Manic sped up all the work and he had to admit it was nice. They had gotten the fence up yesterday in record timing. Sunny had even coaxed Manic into brushing the horses out in the field that had went up to greet them.

 _I got a fence up yesterday and my horses actually look decent. I don't even have to get the cockleburs out of their mane when spring hits._

The thought pleased Shadow. It was less he had to do.

 _Having the helping hands wasn't such a bad idea. I might need to hire a hand or two when everyone else is gone after the wedding. Thankfully, everyone showed up insanely early to the event for some reason._

The ebony male couldn't help but purse his lips. The wedding was supposed to be May 5th. Why on Earth did everyone show up months early? How long were they were planning to cram into _his_ house?

 _They all wanted to catch up, no doubt. Silver and Blaze seem like they have nothing to do. Although, Silver was interrupted with a Skype call from one of his coworkers when I was leaving, it doesn't seem like they're entirely bombarded with work._

 _Manic and Sunny showed up probably to see Aleena and spend time with Sonia and the kids. Whether Manic and Sonic will make up is an entirely different situation. Either way, everyone is still here._

 _Well, not everyone._

Rouge popped into his head. Shadow swallowed as he grasped the steering wheel a little tighter than normal.

Even though they had spoken, he couldn't fathom seeing her again in person. He would be able to reach out and touch her – know that some sick bastard had laid a hand on her.

 _And I wasn't there to stop it._

Shadow cleared his throat as his gaze shifted from the road to the fields. It was nothing amazing to look at, and he was beyond familiar with the scenery, but the empty road was boring as hell. Maybe his guests would leave early when they realized there was nothing to do out in the country at this time of year besides get ready to farm.

Unless they had cows.

He grimaced at the thought of calving season, which for him landed in December or January. Thankfully, he cooperated with the Wilsons and was able to use their calf barn – and it didn't interfere with irrigating in the spring.

 _Oh, the life._ Shadow sighed as he blinked away the tiredness that was beginning to form just from the thought of all the work that needed to be done. _First things first, gotta pick up Amy._

He had rarely gone down to the school. In fact he had only gone down if it were for the dinner party things the school held during the holidays. He only went to those because Sonic and Sarah both forced him to in the end.

Other than that, he had never gone to the school.

 _Wait, that one time Sarah forgot her lunch, and Sonic was working. I almost missed her call. Looking back…I wish I hadn't answered._ Shadow scoffed at the memory of seeing kiddy art in the hallway.

That hadn't been the worst of it however. When he got there, the second graders were being released to lunch. He had barely escaped to Sarah's room before being trampled by running children.

Shadow hadn't gone to the school any other time, but he wondered. He wasn't the only one.

" _Just wait. Someday, you'll have to go there to pick up your kid after school."_

" _I believe they have school buses for that reason."_

" _For like…a dentist appointment, then."_

Sonic had been pestering him that day, too. It was before Amy arrived though. Shadow chewed his bottom lip in thought.

 _Actually…the more I think about it, the more Sonic's always been annoying me about settling down. Even before Amy showed up. She just…enhanced his pestering._

"I wonder what their classrooms are like…"

Shadow nearly swerved off the road at hearing a certain voice again.

It wasn't his, but it _was._

It was the sarcastic, laidback one – which meant that the Devil Shadow hanging out on his dashboard was the one that spoke.

The mini-version had appeared again first. Lounging back on the dashboard and using his elbow to prop him up, Devil Shadow raised an eyebrow at Shadow's glare. "What? When we have kids, we need to make sure it's an adequate classroom. What if they have scissors just lyin' around? What if the teacher is a complete idiot?"

Shadow grumbled under his breath. "Go away. I don't plan on having kids with _anyone_."

"Fine," he heard and felt a relief in his chest – at least until the little nuisance was fluttering closer with the ragged black wings. "When you adopt, I guess."

"Go away."

"Shadow boy, calm down," Devil Shadow snorted in amusement as he sat on the steering wheel. He was quiet for a minute or two as he observed the situation and then the steering wheel itself. "Hey, isn't this the part where Jesus takes the wheel or something?"

"What?"

"You know, that song with – okay, never mind." Devil Shadow folded his arms and took his turn to glower at Shadow, who was doing anything but looking at the illusion. "You gonna ignore yourself, buddy?"

"Stop it."

"Well, if Mister High and Mighty didn't take so long showing up," Devil Shadow stood from his spot and went back to the dashboard. "And I ain't talkin' about God here."

Shadow slowly glared at the smaller version of himself. The red horns glowed brighter than before, and the spiky tail twitched in impatience.

"Another word and I'm throwing you out of this truck."

Devil Shadow snorted but ignored the real Shadow anyway. It was a peaceful five minutes where Shadow could actually focus on driving. Just driving.

"Your thoughts are pretty silent, Shadow boy."

He growled and tried not to think about murdering the little beast. Would he even die? Probably not.

"Nope," Devil Shadow smirked back at him. "I'm just a figment of your imagination. But I'm honestly shocked to see that you're so silent now. I'm mean, you're normally always thinking about _something._ "

"Well, I am for one am content with the silence," another voice came to join the party. Shadow didn't even try and hold back his groan of annoyance. "No thoughts of kicking Sonic out early. No thoughts of the girl. Everything is quiet."

Shadow raised an eyebrow at the Angel form of himself, which sat above the radio.

Devil Shadow glared at his opposite. "Her name is Amy," the menace gritted his teeth. He folded his dark wings against his back and pouted with his nose up in the air. "And she'd be a better mother to our children than anyone else," he muttered under his breath.

If anyone driving behind Shadow had to question was the Ultimate Life Form was doing when his truck swerved violently again, they'd assume he was texting or drunk in the middle of the day. Or perhaps he was tired.

But certainly not hallucinating.

"Yes," the angel droned in a tired tone. "She is rather good with children that much I can admit."

Devil Shadow continued to glower. "We'd go to that school to pick up our kids that she was the mother of."

Just the thought had Shadow gripping the wheel until his knuckles were white, and all because the thought of having children with Amy meant the thoughts advanced to thinking about –

"My, my," Angel Shadow tried to hold back his sneer. "Getting a little horny, Shadow?"

Devil Shadow snickered but stuck his tongue out at the one with the halo. "You have to admit, we would treat her right. We would be _good_."

Shadow growled as the lustful lunatic seemed to take control of not only the conversation. The ebony hedgehog didn't feel quite in control of himself. Devil Shadow was doing something – making him think something. Persuading him.

"Calm down, you fool," Angel Shadow warned in a raised tone. "You don't want him to lose control _now_ of all times and make him crash."

"You're right. Then we'd never get Amy love for ourselves." Devil Shadow pursed his lips as Shadow felt in control of himself again. The lightheaded feeling was gone. He almost sighed in relief until the horned version of him snapped his fingers. "I got it!"

"What now?" Angel Shadow rolled his eyes, letting the harp from the shower poof into existence. He plucked the strings in no order and in mere boredom.

"Why don't we ask her out on a date?!" Devil Shadow grinned at his brilliance. "We could at least apologize for any moments we were an asshole because they were _your_ fault."

Angel Shadow raised an eyebrow at him with a sly look. "Wouldn't that make it _your_ fault as well, considering we are the same in the end?"

The other stopped smirking immediately.

Shadow grunted at the idea as he actually joined the conversation of his fighting conscience. Or…was it consciences? "Remember last time we tried that? Burying the hatchet didn't work like Sonic had planned."

"Yes, but it wasn't that painful of a memory," Angel Shadow noted.

Devil Shadow scoffed. "You're actually agreeing to me now?!"

"Not at all, but Shadow won't stop pining for the female with you around."

"And I'll always be around."

"Yes, but you'd be less around if they made a friendship and a friendship only," Angel Shadow was devising his own plan. "Frankly, they've shared happy moments as well as terrible ones. But would you call them friends yet?"

"Hell, yes!" Devil Shadow shouted. He turned to Shadow. "Don't listen to this guy. You and Amy have started over. You've shared good memories, haven't you?"

They both looked at the original.

The bolshie hedgehog tried to think of any good memory with Amy Rose. "They're not technically long memories, but rather many short moments. Does that count?"

He wasn't sure if he was on Devil Shadow's side or not.

"We're friends, damn you!" Devil Shadow hollered, thrusting his fist into the air at Angel Shadow.

"What on Earth are those memories?" Angel Shadow nearly stuttered in surprise as his eyes widened, seeing everything that Devil Shadow was – that the regular Shadow was seeing as well. He stared at Shadow and then Devil Shadow. "Y-You remember all these?"

Devil Shadow glided down to the seat next to Shadow and stared up at Angel Shadow with determination in his eyes. "Yes."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "You keep them?"

"Well, he is the logical one that doesn't care for Amy love like I do," Devil Shadow motioned to Angel Shadow. "Who else is going to keep them?"

"Probably for you to fantasize about later," Angel Shadow snorted. "They're not possibly heartfelt memories that you keep. You lust after the pink hedgehog, nothing more. You are not her friend. You are a danger to her. You should warn her to stay away."

Shadow gritted his teeth as he was at a crossroads.

Nothing they were saying was making sense because they kept going against one another. How in the hell was Shadow supposed to know what to think or do about Amy Rose if he was playing tug-a-war with himself? With his emotions?

"Not true!" Devil Shadow hopped up from his sitting position. "The time we picked her up at the airport – do you remember?"

Angel Shadow glanced at his opposite with a curious gaze, and even Shadow saw it.

He stared down at Devil Shadow and realized what was going on. The devil him wasn't trying to persuade _him_ to like Amy Rose. The devil him was trying to persuade _Angel Shadow_ to like Amy Rose.

 _Because essentially that would be the same thing, only it's not entirely._

Shadow crinkled his nose as he tried hard to think about it. It was like untangling knots, but it made sense somewhat. Figuring out of his feelings towards Amy – the key was in persuading Angel Shadow, or his logical side, that she wasn't something they merely lusted after with no love.

That she wasn't some fling or someone useless.

"I can recall," Angel Shadow whispered and brought Shadow back to the conversation the illusions were having.

"Her smile can light up any room, can it not?" Devil Shadow softly spoke this time as he sat back down with a calm look. He found himself smiling, and when he looked up at his original, he could see faint emotions in those ruby eyes.

"We did not actually communicate with her though," Angel Shadow denied the memory as anything wholehearted, but he was looking out the front window instead of his anti. "It doesn't count."

Devil Shadow was just as tenacious, however. "We are attracted to her, you cannot deny that."

"Attraction and friendship are two separate things here. One of which we have. The other we do not."

Again, Shadow found himself unsure.

"The jacket which we never share."

"We've never had a reason to share it, and she kept chattering her teeth."

"She was cold – we were being kind. Either way…she liked its smell."

Shadow smirked at the memory. Yes, she had liked the smell. She was a rather strange girl. He had almost forgotten about the jacket.

"We protected her from Samwell and Scourge. Let's not forget the sparks we feel when we touch her," Devil Shadow purred in delight at the last memory.

"Protecting her was an instinct and a gentleman thing to do. The sparks have subsided."

"Because we have touched so often," Devil Shadow smirked in victory there. He glared suddenly. "And we both know that if either of those males had dared to touch her…" he didn't finish his sentence as his teeth bared.

Angel Shadow went back to rolling his eyes. "Your argument is invalid now. You are losing control."

"She cared for us when we were sick."

"She is a very caring person. So what?" he shrugged.

"She would have cared for us if we had told her about the attack," Devil Shadow threw in. "Amy love was upset we hadn't told her even when we didn't know her that well then."

Angel Shadow sighed in exasperation. It was almost futile to argue considering Devil Shadow was never going to give up. The logic in him could see where things would end up going, and he couldn't fight it forever. "Yes, well she worries about a lot of people."

"Oh, just admit it!" Devil Shadow growled. Intolerance coursed through them all as they passed Sonic's work and neared the school. "You care for Amy love just as I do! It _is_ genuine and we are friends capable of something more, but _you_ are afraid to admit it!"

"Even with all of the small _moments_ ," Angel Shadow mocked with a sneer, "we are far from being something with the female that could possibly work –"

"AAAAMYYY. Her name is Amy! A-M-Y!"

Shadow shut his eyes for a split second to try and stop them mentally. He reopened them to drive straight, but he was nearing the school – he needed to get rid of them and fast.

His thoughts were about to explode.

"Yes, yes, they are!" Devil Shadow growled in agreement with Shadow as he suddenly turned to his original, "And all because _you_ can't figure out what to do with _your feelings_!"

"It is not love – it is lust!" Angel Shadow actually raised his voice as he stood, the harp suddenly disappearing as anger flashed through his eyes. "Get it out of your head and leave the damn girl alone! She needs to be back on her own two feet! If we let her in now, she'll not only be dependent on us, but she'll never leave!"

"GAH!" Devil Shadow shouted as Shadow made a quick turn into the school parking lot. "You son of a bitch, get over your damn fears!"

" _What?!"_

"You heard me! You're afraid of hurting her!"

" _You_ are the one that would hurt her!"

Devil Shadow almost looked frustrated to tears at this point. Or perhaps it was the thought of harming the lovely flower by accident. "I would never!"

"You're the _entire reason_ Shadow's losing control in the first place! No female has ever caught our attention except for now!" Angel Shadow hopped down to glower at Devil Shadow millimeters apart. "Why is that, pray tell – and don't tell me it's because she's _attractive_!"

"Because _she_ apologized! Because _she_ has accepted _us_ as a friend! Because _she's_ different and _we_ know it!

"ENOUGH."

It wasn't even a yell.

Shadow slammed his head against the steering wheel and glanced over at his side.

No one was there.

They were gone.

He was left alone to breathe heavily and lean against the wheel. Shadow didn't know what to do anymore. He had never been so confused on a moment in life with someone else that he had to stop and ask what they were.

 _Are we friends? Or was he – I – right? Are we capable of something more?_

Shadow lifted his head up and stared at the front of the school.

A mother was walking out, holding hands with her child she had just excused from school to go somewhere. The child skipped alongside their mother, talking rapidly as the mother smiled warmly.

Red, emotionless eyes stared.

 _What are we anymore?_

* * *

"So…how do you like it here?"

The silence between them had been painful for some reason.

Amy wanted to ask Sarah about Worthington, but she had held it in. She didn't want Sarah to be suspicious of anything. Especially since Amy hadn't even told Shadow yet.

 _Next time I see him. Next time I see him._ She chanted in her head, knowing the car ride home would be fun.

Unfortunately, a small life form was in the room that made it practically impossible to ask Sarah anything – Timothy. Amy had almost forgotten that Sarah had said she let the panther stay in during lunch.

"Um…" Amy blinked as she came back to reality, gripping her sandwich she hadn't eaten yet. "You aren't playing matchmaker, are you?"

"Oh, please," Sarah rolled her eyes as she poked at her salad with her fork. She glanced up at Timothy, who was completely oblivious to the two females while eating his lunch. But she knew he could easily understand them. "I could care less if you and Shadow got together. I don't want to meddle with your life or his life, Amy. He seemed content with his lifestyle before and after Sonic showed up."

"…So, is that why you haven't really been…matchmaking?"

"I wouldn't call everyone's poor attempts 'matching making.' Look, Shadow doesn't necessarily need someone and neither do you," Sarah answered. "I mean, _you_ might. If I had to guess which one of you would settle down first and start a family, it'd be you without a doubt. Shadow's always liked his peace as far as I know."

"He hasn't changed there."

Sarah tilted her head as a look of curiosity filled her eyes. "Has he changed in other ways, though?"

"What do you mean?" Amy said between chewing her first bite of her sandwich – which was tasteless compared to Sarah's salad and fruits that look delicious and inviting.

"Well, obviously he's a lot less cruel," Sarah noted, "But any small details?"

"Elaborate, please."

Sarah rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Do you know anything about the guy at all? I'm starting to wonder."

"Of course, I do," Amy defended as her eyes narrowed. Sarah raised an eyebrow at her. "I-I mean. I know some things."

"Really?" Sarah rested her chin on her palm. "How close are you to Shadow?"

Remembering Timothy, Amy gave her a look. Sarah waved it off. "Sarah, I don't understand why this is so suddenly important."

"It seems to me you don't even _know_ him. Yet you're falling for him like a schoolgirl."

"I am not!" Amy shrieked so suddenly that poor Timothy jumped from his spot. He stared over at the two adults with a questioning look. Amy glanced back with an apologetic look before glaring at Sarah and whispering, "I am not."

"Yes, you are. It's totally obvious."

Amy pouted before a thought hit her and worry spread throughout. "Is it really obvious? Do you think he's noticed?"

"Oh, how cute."

Sarah's smug grin made Amy scowl. She had either just been tricked or – "I knew you liked him. I just wasn't sure, and for Sonic's sake, I had to dupe ya."

 _Yeah, I was just tricked._ The rose hedgehog observed the desk with a harsh stare. _Damn her._

"But do you really know anything about him? I mean, how close are you two?"

"Well…" Amy fidgeted as she set her sandwich down. "I don't know. We've had decent moments." She wasn't about to talk about sparks for fear that Sarah would tease her more.

"But do you know the basics? I mean, jeez, Amy. If you like Shadow so much ask him on a date."

"It's complicated." Amy blushed at the thought of going on a date. But going out to dinner…probably wouldn't turn out better than last time, she feared. Her ears perked up as she raised a brow at the female across from her. "Basics?"

"Yeah. Like, which cereal is his favorite?"

When Sarah didn't answer her own question, Amy sat straighter and cleared her throat. Thinking, Amy tried to recall breakfast with the bolshie male, "Um…Well…The normal kind?"

She could see Sarah fighting off the urge to laugh. "Trick question. The guy doesn't eat cereal."

"Well, that's not fair. You've had four years to get to know him."

"Yeah. Not a couple of days. You don't see me lying next to him at night," Sarah whispered the last part so only Amy could hear.

Amy blushed even more. By the end of this conversation, she'd be a tomato. She could just feel it. "What's breakfast got to do with anything?"

Sarah snorted. "Sonic likes French toast. I make French toast, I get brownie points and a happy boyfriend – eh, fiancé," she corrected herself. "It's a nice gesture that shows I care and also know what he likes. What would you cook Shadow for breakfast if you two were dating and living alone together?"

 _Well, certainly not cereal._ Amy pursed her lips. "Uh…a regular breakfast?"

Sarah couldn't even laugh at that answer because it was so poor. She gave Amy a look of pity. "That's just sad…Eggs Benedict. I dare you to make it for him tomorrow morning. He hasn't had it in while, and it might just cheer him up in all this mess. Next question."

"Wait, how'd you know that?"

"Jealous?" Sarah scoffed.

The pink female snorted. "Curious."

"I made it one morning when Sonic went to work early. Shadow had never had it before, but I noticed he ate his plate clean. He was either really hungry or he really liked it. The next morning rolled around and he asked me to make it again. Walla. Eggs Benedict. He's never officially said it's his favorite breakfast, but it's the only breakfast that I've cooked that's put him in a good mood more than once."

"And you dare me to make this tomorrow morning?"

"I'll stop by the market and buy some biscuits. I think we're out. But yes. Also, he likes a side of strawberries with it," Sarah added as she eyed her own fruit and popped a grape in her mouth.

"Strawberries are his favorite fruit then?"

"Cantaloupe."

"What?" Amy almost groaned in frustration. "How do you keep track of this? How do you even know his _favorite fruit_?"

Sarah stared at her as if the answer was obvious. "He told me that one."

"Oh."

"Favorite color?"

"Sarah, I don't know. What does this even have to deal with being in a romantic relationship with him?"

" _Because_!" Sarah persisted as she pointed a grape at Amy. "I wasn't sure I even loved Sonic to begin with, but he seemed to fall in love easily. I had to become friends with him first. I wanna know how on Earth _you're_ falling heads over heels with Shadow so quickly when you barely know a thing about the guy."

That caught her off guard.

… _She does have a point._ Amy mulled the notion around in her head. _How much do I know about him? Well, I don't know his favorites because they might change a lot, and I haven't been here that long, but I do know his past._

"We can relate with one another in a way, Sarah. While I haven't been here for as long as you or Sonic have, I still know a part of Shadow. And despite how many bad moments roll around, I can't help but still feel comfortable around him." Amy stared at her lap as she played with her thumbs. "This might sound silly, but the first time we actually really touched, I felt sparks. And I know he felt something too because I could see it in his eyes.

"I've tried to stop thinking like such a schoolgirl, but I can't help but…fall for him. At the beginning, I hated the idea of being with Shadow as anything – even a friend. I wanted nothing to do with him because he was so adamant on making my life on the farm terrible. Now, when I think about being with him, I don't feel grossed out or nauseous. I feel…calm and yet excited with butterflies in my stomach at the same time. Like the idea isn't completely out of reach – and that thought wouldn't normally occur unless I knew he felt something too, right?"

She stared up at Sarah with such hope in her eyes. The lime green hedgehog could only stare at her in wonder.

Suddenly, Amy felt a presence beside her. She glanced over and looked at Timothy.

The panther stared at her before looking to his teacher. "I think it would be best if I leave right now." His soft, young voice was filled with such maturity that Amy sat in awe as he left the room.

There was a moment of silence between the two women before Amy suddenly shook her head.

"Was that, like, an insult?" She laughed breathlessly as Sarah joined in. "He didn't want to deal with my drama or tell me about cooties so he just politely leaves? Oh, my God – he was adorable!"

Sarah chortled as she stretched back. She ate another grape as she watched Amy calm down. Brown eyes softened.

"You like Shadow."

Amy's smile died as her nails plucked the surface of the table. "It would seem so…"

"I don't actually know his favorite color."

She gazed up at Sarah. "What?" Amy somewhat laughed. "How could you not know his favorite color?"

"I don't know," Sarah shrugged admittedly. "But I do know that he likes the navy blue plate more than the other colors of plate. And he likes the red trimmed glass. If that helps with breakfast."

Amy cracked a smile in response as she stared at her sandwich – which remained untouched besides the one bite mark in it. The smile faded again. "Do you think he'd agree to a date?"

"Who knows? It's Shadow the Hedgehog. We can't ever tell what he's thinking – no matter how much Sonic thinks he can read him."

"He probably can."

"Not true," Sarah shook her head. "Once, Sonic could have sworn that something was eating Shadow up – like the past or whatever. Same ole sappy stuff. Turns out, Shadow didn't know where he put the wrench and was looking all day for it. He thought he was mentally losing it."

Another small grin. "I guess we can't always tell what each of us is thinking. But you'd think it'd be simple to tell if he has feelings for someone, considering he's never been in a relationship before."

"Unless he didn't know what to do with his feelings," Sarah shrugged. "The guy's pretty good at bottling his emotions, Amy. I would just ask him on a date because he'll most likely never get around to it even if he does like you. Besides – this date could be a starting over, friendship thing."

"I'm pretty sure we tried that once, and it didn't work out."

"Things don't happen the same way twice."

"Yeah, it could be a lot worse."

Sarah gave her an encouraging smirk. "We'll start with breakfast than. If you get a response out of him, maybe you can read him easier."

"That is the trick." Amy picked at the wrapping the sandwich was on. She glanced back at the window of the classroom. "I wonder where he is. No offence, but I do not want to be around this many kids anymore."

"Pfft, you get used to them. Besides, you'll only miss story time and going over the alphabet again."

While Amy gave a soft laugh, Sarah's expression turned serious as she remember the whole reason to getting Amy here. It was to get some time to talk to the pink hedgehog – and ask her a question.

The lime green hedgehog wondered if now was even a good time anymore.

Amy's thoughts were revolved around Shadow, and said hedgehog was supposed to be picking her up momentarily. Still, Sarah didn't know when else she'd get the time to ask Amy – with so many people at the house now, it was practically impossible.

Deciding that it was now or never, Sarah broke the silence once more.

"Do you know anyone by the name of Rosy?"

* * *

 _So, Amy falls in love quicker than Shadow – shocker. XD_ _As of now, I declare that Amy is falling in love with Shadow while Shadow remains confused on what to do with his emotions like a scared little boy! Imagine me saying that in like an awesome British accent – it sounds cooler, trust me. (Loopy af when I'm tired, apparently)._

 _There may or may not be a schedule to updating somewhat planned. There also may or may not be a delay in the story notes…again. Which may or may not ruin the schedule that I'll be trying out. It's a mess, but have some faith in me, please. *weak smile*_

 _I love you all – you readers are so patient with me. I hope. I love your support!_

 _BIG THANK YOU, SHOUT OUT THING TO_ _ **MISTYVOID48**_ _FOR HELPING ME ON BASICALLY THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER!_

 _Until next time, keep those positive vibes flowin'!_

 _Arrivederci!_


	23. In a Blink of an Eye

**STH © SEGA/Archie**

 **Sarah, Peter, Samwell, Rosemary & the Wilson Family © Cozy Shadow **

**Flame, Petunia, Jeffery, and Sunny © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands or names (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _So, I took a break – as you can probably tell by my lack of updating – to figure out where I was at in the story. Right now, I've figured it's time to get things going. I apologize in advance if any of this seems…quicker paced than the rest of the story. But it's time to get things moving on, especially if we're nearing the climax soon. There are really only three new key things that happen in this chapter – so I hope it's not overwhelming._

 _If my schedule works for writing, then I should upload every weekend now. Either Saturday or Sunday, but this schedule is not a guaranteed thing as anything could pop up last minute…Hence why I'm uploading this on a Monday._

 _I hope you readers enjoy this new update and had a Happy Thanksgiving!_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Three:**

 **In a Blink of an Eye**

Amy had never noticed how deep brown eyes could be. So intense and full of expectation – that was how Sarah seemed as she never broke eye contact.

And yet all Amy could do, was stare.

 _Rosy._

The pink hedgehog opened her mouth to say something but she couldn't. The words weren't there.

 _Rosy the Rascal._

She easily painted the picture of the crazy female in her head, remembering everything about Rosy. Even the hammer was crystal clear in Amy's memory. Although she hadn't spoken to Rosy much, there was still a connection between them.

A connection that Amy couldn't explain, even if she wanted to, rested between her and Rosy.

 _But why did Sarah suddenly bring it up? How does she even know about Rosy? Last I remember of Rosy…_

Amy mulled it over while biting her lip.

… _She was one of the first ones through the portal, I think. She was closer up north where the portal was – so it would make sense. But other than that, I don't recall anything about her when the planet was dying._

 _She simply…wasn't there. Rosy never seemed to be around to begin with. She was always chasing after –_

Green eyes abruptly widened as realization dawned upon her.

"D-Did you see Rosy here?"

"Well, that was the name she signed," Sarah nodded and shrugged as if it was no big deal. As if Rosy the Rascal suddenly popping up wasn't a big deal. Amy had to remind herself that Sarah hadn't heard Scourge's phone call.

 _And I could be assuming too quickly, but…what if?_

"Where?"

"She picked her kid up yesterday after school – pretty late, if you ask me. Last week, she checked the kid out and signed her name as Rosy."

"The school?" Amy's throat suddenly felt dry. The sandwich wasn't welcoming as a sinking feeling came. "A kid?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow at her friend. Amy seemed almost breathless. "Yeah, the secretary said she knew Sonic or something. I was going to ask him, but…she looked like _you_. It seemed odd that you were the first pink hedgehog I've _ever seen_ and then suddenly another one pops up a little after you arrive."

"Are you accusing me of something?"

"Of course not. But I figured you might know her better than Sonic had."

Amy furrowed her eyebrows at the generalization, "Just because we're pink-furred?"

"The kid looked like Scourge," Sarah said without missing a beat. She didn't care if Amy was a little offended at the platitude – it was a logical guess. "I didn't get a good look at her face – she was a little shy and didn't talk much. She was pink, too. Lighter than you. Had Scourge's eyes though." Sarah glanced up at Amy while picking at her grapes. "I couldn't help but wonder…"

"You didn't bring this up with Sonic?"

"Not yet. Why?"

"Just…because."

Sarah squinted in confusion. "Did she date him or something?"

"Well, no. I mean, Rosy always…" Amy cleared her throat and sighed as her hands clasped together on the table. "Rosy was a lunatic."

"She seemed sane to me."

Amy appeared to glare at the table in concentration. "That's…odd. She was a maniac – always trying to kill Scourge. She carried a hammer like me. I guess you could call her my anti."

"Like Scourge is Sonic's anti."

"Yes."

"So…" Sarah trailed off as she ate a grape. "You think they had a kid?"

"Rosy and Scourge…well, if Rosy ever became sane somehow and found Scourge; I would imagine Scourge might at least sleep with her. Not marry her, though. And when we ran into Scourge, I don't remember seeing a wedding ring."

"You don't have to be married to have a kid."

Amy continued to stare at the table. _And he probably wouldn't want to marry her until everything with Samwell was resolved. So, if Scourge is dating Rosy and they did have a child, that's more than enough power for Sam to have against Scourge._

She could remember how soft Scourge's gaze sometimes was in the store. He had held the can towards her without even a look of lust – something that seemed out of place for the hedgehog.

It made sense to Amy now.

"They probably did. Why else would she be here where Scourge is, with a kid that resembles him? Or at least has his eyes," Amy mumbled the last part as she dwelled on the situation.

If her math was right, she now had even more to tell Shadow on the ride home.

Just where the hell was the guy?

"Hm," Sarah hummed and then shrugged again. "I just thought it odd that she showed up. I didn't remember the kid at all. She only looked to be in about first or second grade – which means I would have taught her."

"But you don't remember her?" Amy thought of Scourge having a little daughter. It was a nice scene really – the guy had seemed to change a little. The notion that Scourge had a child in general and had stayed with the mother was surprising altogether.

"Not at all."

Amy paused before whispering, "What was her name?" out of mere curiosity.

"Rosemary."

Softly staring at the table now, Amy smiled gently. "That's a nice name."

"I guess. If you like the weird names like that – seems almost cliché to me."

Amy snorted, "Says the one marrying a man named 'Sonic.' I kind of like the names – they're unique. How many people do you know named Shadow?"

"Well, my cat –"

"That one doesn't count."

Sarah sighed as she rested her chin on her palm. "I _guess_ it's a good name – Rosemary, I mean. It's just peculiar how Scourge _and_ Rosy both ended up out here in the middle of nowhere."

"Shadow thought Scourge was following Sonic. At least, that's what he told me the first day I was here," Amy explained. She knew a deeper reason though – Samwell Turner.

"Well, whatever the case is –"

"Knock, knock," a man's voice interrupted the two.

Amy and Sarah both whipped their heads towards the door.

A male Mobian leaned against the doorway and smiled at them both warmly.

He had soft green eyes and was a tan-furred feline, with dark stripes over his body and a fluffy tail that curled around his legs as he stood. Bright orange hair rose up in spikes at the top of his head.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he glanced between the two girls, "but I figured now was as good of time as any to check up on your computer, Sarah."

"Right!" Sarah snapped her fingers as if remembering. "Amy, this is Peter Worthington. He teaches the other preschoolers across the hall. Peter, this is Amy Rose."

Amy stood up, along with Sarah. Her knees felt weak, and she was pretty sure her forehead was starting to sweat.

 _This is him. It's got to be. It's not some strange coincidence that his last name is Worthington._

 _Certainly not what I imagined, but don't freak out, Amy. Whatever you do, don't freak out. Just make polite conversation as if you're not even suspicious of him._

She shakily took his hand and shook it, giving him a rather weak grin. "Hello."

"It's an honor to meet you, Miss Rose," Peter purred as he retracted his hand from hers and folded his arms. "Thank you for your service."

She offered him another small smile.

"Computer?" Peter coughed as he looked at Sarah, breaking the sudden silence that almost crept between them. "It was giving you troubles?"

"Yeah. It was showing me some errors with a program," Sarah explained as the two walked over to her desk. "I tried to fiddle with it yesterday, but couldn't figure it out."

"So, you had to come to me," Peter chortled, "Step aside, amateur."

Sarah jeered and crossed her arms as he went over on the other side of the desk and sat in her chair. "I went to school to become a preschool teacher – not a technician."

Amy walked slowly over to them and stood beside Sarah. As their shoulders brushed together, Amy glanced over at the lime green hedgehog.

"He's good with computers?" she asked calmly, folding her arms as if she were interested.

Peter gave her a sideways glimpse, but went back to staring at the computer screen. "I was always good with computers and whatnot."

"He's amazing at it," Sarah confided. "He shouldn't be so modest, honestly. I swear it's a power rather than a skill."

Amy watched the cat closely. He only gave Sarah a tiny smirk as he went to work. The pink hedgehog tilted her head and observed him curiously. Thinking back the phone call, Amy clenched her jaw a little in concentration.

She remembered the cramped position she had to remain in to hear Scourge, catching every word.

" _I'm telling you, that Worthington guy is a piece of work. He can hack into anything – machines are his forte."_

She swallowed as quietly as she could, but suddenly the entire phone call conversation was coming back to her. The tub, staring at Scourge's jeans and how close he was on the other side of the aisle – his voice was even echoing in her mind.

" _I couldn't make everything today, babe, I'm sorry. She'll be fine. It's just school."_

Rosemary was at school – and was a she. Amy bit her bottom lip in fear as everything was suddenly lining up a little _too_ nicely.

" _I know it's not exactly the safest environment with Worthington there, but we've got to play this cool and not draw attention to ourselves."_

" _As long as Sam gets what he wants – No, I know he's a lunatic, but listen, as long as he gets what he wants, he won't harm you or our daughter."_

Of course.

How had she forgotten about that tiny little detail? She had been so focused on the Worthington part that Amy had neglected to remember Scourge openly stated he had a daughter.

Everything – all of the puzzle pieces – fit together perfectly.

And it wasn't a good sign.

 _What the hell am I going to tell Shadow now in a way that he'd possibly believe me?_ Amy contemplated on telling the male at all, but she knew she had to.

There was a reason Scourge and Rosy were here. There was a reason Peter Worthington was here – in the exact same location as Shadow and Sonic.

Amy was simply too terrified to figure out the truth.

 _If Samwell is a lunatic, he could be up to anything. If he's so much of a madman that he'd actually kill a child, something tells me we need to take action. Scourge said they were watching us._

 _Spies._

Amy stared at the cat in Sarah's chair. He was completely oblivious to her as she glowered.

 _Spies that could hack into any computer, any information on us, and tear us apart. Scourge said something about knowing all of our secrets. Skeletons in the closet - maybe even enough information that would have us turn our backs on each other._

Sarah glanced over and raised an eyebrow at the glaring female. That wasn't typical of Amy Rose – especially to nice strangers such as Peter.

It didn't take long for Amy to catch Sarah's look that seemed to question her. Amy only ignored the lime green hedgehog – going back to her thinking.

Fortunately, Sarah did nothing about the situation and shrugged it off.

It left Amy to stand there and watch Peter work. Her head was filled with thoughts that made her almost completely oblivious to reality.

 _I know Silver and Blaze would hate the fact that I went so far as being a stripper rather than asking for their help. And Rouge – oh, God, she would murder me. But what secrets is everyone else keeping?_

The pink hedgehog was becoming more curious, but not as to what Sam's motive would be to doing all of this. Amy was rather curious about the other secrets everyone in their group had, and how badly it could tear them apart.

 _Whatever Sam's reason for doing this, he's clearly trying to break us down. If what I vaguely remember Scourge saying is true, then Samwell Turner holds our darkest secrets that would ultimately cause another separation in the group – and for good this time._

 _And the fact that everyone is here months early for the wedding to spend time together –_ Amy's eyes broadened even greater as she ceased glaring. _Oh, no…Something bad is going to happen._

 _I can feel it._

"Amy," Sarah suddenly whacked her arm.

"Hm, what?" Amy turned to Sarah, thinking the female was going to ask her why she kept glaring at Peter.

Instead, Sarah was staring behind them. Following her gaze, Amy was surprised to see Shadow.

He was angled against the doorframe, completely inaudible as he stared at the carpet. His eyes seemed to be glazed over – as if he were lost in space. It was an odd position for the Ultimate Life Form to be in – one of which that caused Amy to frown.

Whenever his expression turned emotionless, it always made Amy think what could possibly be bothering him. But this time, it was different. She felt it.

"Are you okay, Shadow?"

Instantly, the bolshie hedgehog was snapped out of his trance. He caught Amy's eye contact and seemed to falter before making a coherent sentence.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah…Just give me a second," Amy cautiously spoke as she went to grab her deserted sandwich. She looked back at Sarah and then at Peter, who was in his own world.

She narrowed her eyebrows in thought as she looked at him further.

His hand was merely on the mouse and he was completely still, except for his eyes. Peter kept looking over the screen as if reading, yet no words were actually on the screen. It perplexed Amy, even as the feline seemed to be mumbling words under his breath.

 _Strange…Maybe it is a power._ Amy mulled over the thought. "See ya, Sarah."

"Bye."

"Goodbye, Miss Rose. It was a pleasure meeting you," Peter spoke rather monotonously as he never looked away from the monitor.

Amy took her lunch and ambled towards Shadow.

His red eyes first observed her worried expression and then went to the male sitting at the computer. He glanced back down at Amy when she grabbed his arm and tugged a little.

"Let's go," Amy offered him a smile, but she hoped her eyes told him they needed to talk.

Shadow merely followed her, but not without one last glance at Peter.

~.~

When they were out of the school, Amy spotted Shadow's truck quickly.

It was becoming achingly obvious that something wasn't right with the dark hedgehog. He was normally quiet, that was true, but something bothered Amy about this silence.

It wasn't a normal silence.

She took a glimpse at Shadow again to make sure he was alright. Something seemed off about him for sure, and she wondered if right now was a good time to tell him everything she knew.

"Shadow?"

"Yes, Rose?"

A blush crept up on her cheeks.

He hadn't called her that in a while. It made the butterflies in her stomach reappear and flutter about. "Are you okay?" she repeated her question from earlier as they crossed the small parking lot.

"I'm fine."

He never so much as looked at her.

Amy walked to her side of the truck, but was startled when Shadow opened the door for her before she could reach the handle. She halted for a second before eyeing him with a tender gaze that almost made him fidget in his position.

"Thank you."

Shadow closed the door once she was in.

He let out a breath and walked around the truck, getting in on his side and putting the key into the ignition. They left silently with the radio barely audible.

Amy curled up next to the window and glanced at Shadow periodically. By the time they passed the bank, she felt a sense of unease.

 _I have to tell him…I have to warn him – anyone that will listen. Shadow will know what to do, but why is he being so silent? It's like…_

Green eyes took a glimpse again.

… _It's like he's distancing himself from me. Is he? Is it because of the animalistic issue?_ Amy grimaced as her hands clasped in her lap.

What was she supposed to say?

She felt a little hurt at the idea of Shadow distancing himself from her.

 _We're friends; we were going to figure this out together. He wasn't going to run away from the problem and never speak to me again – we didn't agree to that._ She thought about it stubbornly.

There was no way she was going to let him get away with that. If she needed to play Alpha female, then she would.

Amy thinned her lips. _Here goes nothing…_

"Shadow?"

"Hm?"

Well, at least he wasn't ignoring her completely. She turned her body to face him, indicating they were about to have a nice, long chat.

"Is everything okay?"

Shadow raised an eyebrow at the female. He was fairly certain they'd already gone over this. "Yes. Why do you insist on repeating yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

"You asked me that when we left."

"Right," Amy folded her ears back. "Well, I was starting a conversation. And…you're quieter than usual. I can't help but feel that you're distancing yourself from me all because of…you know."

"Amy…"

Shadow was confused on where they stood. He tried to convince himself that they were friends – that he and Amy were nothing more and never would be. But the more he tried to convince his head, the more his heart told him it was a lie.

A few seconds passed, and the black hedgehog completely forgot that he had trailed off. Glancing over at Amy, he sighed. "I apologize if it seems like that."

"Shadow, I have to tell you something."

His fur bristled at her sudden statement. Shadow kept his eyes latched onto the road as his shoulders became tense.

 _What the hell is she going on about? And why am I feeling…anxious?_

Shadow mentally frowned at the thought of how the once levelheaded Ultimate Life Form could now so easily crumble at the mere voice of Amy Rose.

 _From time to time. It's not on a regular basis at least._

He wasn't sure who he was kidding – and he could've sworn he heard Devil Shadow's laughter echo somewhere. Shadow didn't dare look around for the menace in case Amy thought he was losing it, which probably wouldn't be the first time.

Red eyes glanced at the rose hedgehog.

"What is it?" he was reluctant to ask at all. But by the way she was focused solely on him; it made him believe she wasn't going to let him leave the truck without having this conversation.

 _No doubt it's about the instinct thing. I can't help it – one can't fight instinct. It's ultimately impossible in the end._ Shadow chewed the inside of his cheek. _She's probably already made a list of solutions in that head of hers, waiting to spring them on me all at once –_

"It's about Scourge."

Shadow paused in his thoughts before his eyebrows knit together in confusion. _Scourge is the last place I thought she'd be taking this conversation. What could she possibly want to know now?_

"Amy, I've told you to stay away from him –"

"I don't think he's as bad as you make him out to be."

To say he was caught off guard yet again would be an understatement. Shadow couldn't believe the nerve Amy had, even after all his warnings.

"What do you mean? What happened?" His eyes narrowed suddenly, as ideas sprung to mind. "You didn't meet up with him somewhere, did you? Talk to him?"

"No…"

"Then what makes you think he's not a bad guy?" Shadow scoffed.

Amy seemed to be the hesitant one now. She almost appeared guilty of something, and it irked Shadow to not know what it was about.

"Well…you remember that day we had to go to town to pick up stuff for Sonic? At the hardware store?"

"Yes."

"And you told me to go find the doorknobs."

Shadow gritted his teeth as his grip tightened on the steering wheel. "Do not tell me this world is that small."

"It's a small world after all," Amy halfheartedly laughed. The weak smile on her muzzle disappeared when she noticed Shadow's irritated glare at the road ahead of them. "I didn't exactly speak to him. But I overheard him talking on the phone. To a woman."

Shadow let out an exasperated sigh. "And this woman is important how?"

"Scourge…well, he…" Amy furrowed her eyebrows as she concentrated, looking at the dashboard now. She tried to recall every little detail of the phone call. "He was looking at different samples of wood for doors when she called. I didn't catch her name, though."

"To the point, Amy."

"He freaked out when she must've said something about being at, "the house," and told her how Sam had the place bugged."

Shadow raised an eyebrow at her, " _The_ house?"

"He said something about a guy named Worthington – and that he could hack into about anything. Apparently, this Worthington guy is good with machines…" Amy trailed off, staring at Shadow's face in hopes of seeing any hints of realization.

She almost thought it was all for not.

"The man in Sarah's classroom when we left – the cat. His name is Peter Worthington," Shadow murmured, as if something dawned upon him. "What are you saying, Amy?"

"Scourge talked about someone else, too. His daughter."

Shadow tried his best to see where Amy was going with everything.

He kept narrowing his eyebrows as he turned onto yet another empty road. "So, because Scourge has a daughter, he's apparently a nice guy? And Peter Worthington – Sarah's coworker whom she's most familiar with at that school – is somehow tied into all of this?"

Amy faced more towards him, tugging at her seatbelt. "He talked about Worthington being at school. That it wasn't the safest environment for their daughter, but Scourge spoke as if it didn't matter as long as Samwell got what he wanted. Scourge sounded...scared and protective for the woman – and his daughter.

"Shadow, I don't think Scourge wants to make our life hell. I think Sam does. Sarah talked to me during lunch – apparently because someone that looked like me came into the school and picked up a little girl that looked similar to her, but had Scourge's eyes. She signed her name Rosy, Shadow. Do you know what this means?"

"Amy, what the hell are you talking about? First Peter and now some woman named Rosy?"

The young flower bit her lip and stared at him. "You don't remember Rosy the Rascal? The anti of me? The crazy one? Sarah said she looked sane, which means Rosy was cured. And I bet, if Rosy was cured and ran into Scourge, the two would have at least dated – I mean, she wasn't atrocious looking the last time I saw her. And if all _that's_ true, then Rosy and Rosemary are the leverage Samwell has against Scourge to keep him for something."

"Rosemary?"

"Their child."

"Right and the point to all of this is what exactly? I'm still trying to find it." Shadow's sarcastic tone made her frown.

She narrowed her eyes at him, giving him a look of disbelief. "You don't get it, do you? Scourge was being watched and still is. If Peter Worthington is the same Worthington that Scourge talked about, and I have no doubt that it is, then that means Peter is watching Rosemary. And probably Sarah."

"You think Sam's put out spies," Shadow fought the urge to roll his eyes. "The guy wouldn't go to extreme lengths like that, Amy. We've had a few run-ins with him but nothing so serious that would make him want to get revenge. Scourge is more prone to do that. We don't know Sam personally."

"Shadow, please. Scourge didn't sound confident when it came to talking about Samwell. He's not the one in charge here, I just know it. Samwell's put out spies on his men, or at least Scourge. Who's to say he doesn't have spies out on us?"

"Like who? Besides Peter, who the hell could be a spy?" Shadow snorted. "Don't think the Wilsons. Once they heard about Samwell Turner, they practically shunned him. Frank couldn't stand what happened to me and wanted to put some sort of security system in after that."

"There's got to be someone," Amy disagreed. "Peter _has_ to be one."

"Peter Worthington is a respectable preschool teacher that works with children. I've had several decent conversations with him during holiday parties, in fact."

"Then maybe he's in the same boat as Scourge. Maybe he's being forced to do this. If he's really that good with machines and can hack into about anything, then Samwell could use him to get information off of us. Credit card info, for example, to show where we've been."

"And what would be the reason that Peter's staying under Sam's command?"

"His life?" Amy suggested. "I don't know. I don't know the guy myself. All I know is that Sam _must_ be in charge and he _must_ have spies out, watching our every move. Maybe that's what Scourge meant when he talked about knowing our secrets in the grocery store. Remember?"

"I remember."

"Peter Worthington _is_ a spy. And there are others. Samwell must've gained followers over the years."

"Amy, we met the guy when we ran into Scourge. What makes you think he's suddenly been planning this for decades?"

She put her hands on her hips as best she could while seated. "I didn't say decades. I don't know how long Samwell has been planning – but with everyone in the group coming together, I think something bad is going to happen."

Shadow stared at the vast road. It seemed to never end, like Amy's theories.

"I'm afraid for Sarah and Rosemary's safety. Sarah is a new friend that I don't want to lose, and Rosemary is just a child. She shouldn't be in fear of dying at the hands of some maniac."

"Now you're saying Sam's the crazy one?" Shadow raised his eyebrow and sighed. "Amy, Scourge's problems are not our issues –"

"It's a child's life at stake, Shadow. I'm not just going to stand by and watch Samwell do something to her. How could you be so cruel?" Amy ended with a harsh whisper as her ears folded back.

She gave her best glower at the stubborn male.

Shadow glanced her way. "I believe my records show just how cruel I can be, Rose. And if you know what's best for you, then you won't interfere. Their problems are not ours. Scourge, if he has any brain left, will know what to do to save his own family. If it's worth that much to him," he scoffed again.

He failed to see Amy's glare, but by God could he feel it. Shadow was rather hesitant to look at her again, and instead kept his eyes on the road. He waited for her to retort, as he could feel it building up.

"You can't tell me what to do!" she hissed.

 _There it is._ He would have smirked, but she was being far too irksome for him to find anything humorous. Gritting his teeth, Shadow kept his mouth shut.

Amy continued to let her anger out. "You do not order me around, Shadow the Hedgehog. We need to stand up and fight before Samwell hurts Rosemary or us!" Her quills frizzled up a little as her hands clenched up into fists.

"You'll only get yourself hurt," he snapped back at her. "Don't be stupid, Amy. Trouble follows you everywhere – you expect to actually help Scourge without getting yourself killed? I forbid you to help them."

"Forbid? _Forbid?!"_ Amy's eyes widened. "I am not some child, Shadow!"

"You sure as hell don't act like an adult. You're not thinking about the consequence, that's for damn sure. You get one scratch on you and _I'm_ going to be the one to blame. Trust me, all of your friends will figure out a way to blame me for your acts."

"That is bullshit!"

Hearing her curse was rather amusing to him. Unfortunately, Amy was still being infuriating at the moment. The thought of her going off and doing something reckless put him on edge. He felt the need to suddenly wrap her in bubble wrap just to be safe.

"Oh, they'd find some reason to place the blame on me. Especially Silver."

"What?" Amy narrowed her eyes. "What has this got to do with Silver?!"

"I'm just saying that if you do something stupid, he'll be the first one to blame me rather than you. To avoid such accusations, I _forbid_ you from doing anything." Shadow growled under his breath, "Even if I have to watch you 24/7."

"But you're not handling the situation!" Amy's voice turned into a pleading tone. "What if Rosemary gets hurt? What if Sarah gets hurt? Samwell will only continue to come after us."

"You have no proof as to why Sam would want to get rid of us in the first place," Shadow retorted. "I'm handling the situation as I should."

"You're not handling squat!" Amy practically screeched. "You're avoiding the situation just like everything else! You can't avoid all of your problems, Shadow!"

Something snapped in him, and he was further confused as to why affections were growing for Amy when she was only pissing him off right now.

"Scourge's problem is not _my_ problem. He needs to protect his own family, like I am protecting mine. I do _not_ avoid my problems," he spoke slowly to make sure every word hit her. Perhaps it would make her shut up for once rather than snap.

But if that had happened, he'd be dreaming.

Amy scowled, "And what about _our_ problem? You said we'd figure it out. I can feel the distance between us, Shadow. You _are_ avoiding me, aren't you?"

He didn't want to say that those were tears forming in her eyes.

Shadow hated it when she cried, especially in front of him. Not only did it make him feel guilty, it made him weaker towards her. The affections grew almost as fast as the confusion.

"Amy –"

"I'm just another problem to you." Amy breathed in heavily, mixing in a sniffle. The tone of realization coming from her made something twinge in his chest.

She was caught off guard when Shadow stared at her so intensely.

It made her shrink down into her seat as he almost glowered at her with a soft expression. How such a look was possible, she didn't know.

"Enough. We'll take about that later."

He whispered the last part, almost as if to reassure her that he wasn't distancing himself from her. Amy was unconvinced.

She turned to look out the window, folding her arms across her stomach.

The pink hedgehog thought about the consequence, as Shadow had called it. If she did interfere, she wasn't sure what would happen. But she knew Samwell Turner would do something drastic sooner or later. And she didn't want to be caught off guard by a creep like him.

 _If Shadow's not going to help or do something about it, then I'll have to do things myself. I don't care what he says – he's not in charge of me. I'm perfectly capable of finding Rosy. It shouldn't be that hard._

 _That's a good place to start. I have somewhat of a connection to her. If she truly is sane, it'll be easier to talk to her, too. Scourge would be harder to talk to and get any information out of._

With a plan forming in her head, Amy ignored Shadow's curious looks. She tried to play it cool, as if she wasn't planning something.

But the ebony hedgehog knew better than that.

It was Amy Rose after all.

The obstinate male frowned. _She'd jump into the fire to rescue a complete stranger without even thinking about it – even if the whole world was telling her not to._

He observed the road again with a bad feeling that Amy wasn't going to heed his orders right away. They were almost back home, yet the silence between them was becoming nerve-racking already.

 _I'm going to have to watch her carefully. But I'm not going to sit around and do nothing._

 _I'll need to tell Sonic about this._

* * *

Upon arriving back home, Shadow felt he shouldn't have been too surprised to see Elisa Wilson sitting on his porch.

The human was sitting in his porch chair, chatting away with Blaze and Sunny. The two Mobians seemed to be listening though, rather than talking much.

Shadow sighed and shut the truck door as Amy followed him. She almost stepped on his heels as he walked to the porch. He felt a sense of unease coming from the pink hedgehog behind him, as if she were a little timid still in front of Elisa for some reason.

"Shadow!" the human yelled enthusiastically as he was several feet from the porch. "Why didn't ya introduce the rest of your friends to us?"

"I apologize, Elisa," he got to the first step. "But they showed up _after_ I brought Amy over to meet you."

Elisa waved it off as she leaned forward in the wooden chair. Blaze leaned against the front door's doorframe while Sunny sat on the top step of the porch. She was closest to Amy and Shadow as she smiled warmly at the two.

"Never mind that. I came to ask if Sarah could bake some pies for Uncle Jo's birthday party this Saturday."

Shadow faltered as his brain went blank.

Elisa scrutinized him, smirking as she realized something. The human leaned back in the chair and folded her arms nonchalantly.

"Now, Shadow, ya wouldn't have forgotten about Uncle Jo's birthday party, would ya?"

"Um…" Shadow cleared his throat as Amy shuffled her feet beside him. She seemed interested in the conversation now, somewhat peeking out to look at Elisa, "Right. I'll tell Sarah."

Elisa laughed and shook her head. "I'll forgive ya if ya at least remember to show up with the rest of your friends. We need to introduce them to the rest of the family, don'tcha think?"

"It would be a pleasure to meet your family, Elisa," Blaze purred as she watched in amusement to see the Ultimate Life Form so nice to a human, and not to mention slightly ashamed. "We'll be sure to make it."

"Good!" Elisa stood and then pointed at Shadow and Amy, waving her finger back and forth between the two. "And remember that little lady behind ya, Shadow. Bring her on your arm," she winked.

Amy blushed as Elisa walked past the two. "Well, I better be off. Pa needed some help with the horses."

Shadow, despite feeling embarrassed further, turned and raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like Elisa to make short visits. "Is that really all you came for then?"

The chatterbox stopped and seemed to ponder a bit. She snapped her fingers and pointed at Shadow. "I forgot to tell Tails yesterday when I ran into him, but he was supposed to tell Sonic – but considerin' I forgot, I guess I can tell you instead."

"What?"

"The cabin Sonic wanted for a venue for the wedding is open in May – just like he asked."

"He asked for the family cabin?" Shadow questioned. It wasn't a bad spot. In fact, it was gorgeous in the spring. It was about two hours away, into the mountain range.

Elisa nodded her head, "Yeah. Although, I can't fathom why he wanted to plan a weddin' so quickly. Then again, he and Sarah never were as meticulous over details as me. I've been plannin' my weddin' for months and it still doesn't seem perfect."

"I think in this situation, it would be Sonic who would care more about details," Shadow replied as Amy walked up the porch to stand beside Blaze. "Sarah probably wouldn't mind as much. They're both the type of people to get things done rather than dwell on them."

Elisa shrugged. "I'm enjoyin' all the stress this weddin' plannin' has caused me," her sarcastic response caused Shadow to crack a small grin. "Well, I'm off. See ya on Saturday!"

The four watched as Elisa got into her vehicle and left.

Blaze folded her arms and softly smiled. "She's very nice. I can assume the rest of her family is the same, no?" she turned her gaze to Shadow.

He twisted around to look at the three females. Sunny was still seated on the top step of the porch. Shadow gave a little huff of agreement with the feline. "Quite. It's a bit overwhelming after a few hours."

"I like birthday parties," Sunny pitched in with a happy grin.

"Who is Jo?" Amy questioned Shadow rather hesitantly. She didn't look at him directly, which made him further think she was still upset about their conversation's ending result.

"He's -"

There was a sudden clash from inside the house.

Shadow's ears pointed forward as he bolted towards the door. Blaze already had it open by the time he was standing between her and Amy. Sunny stood behind them as she was the last one to make it through the doorway.

Silver stood at the fireplace and stared at them with wide eyes. "It wasn't my fault."

The ebony hedgehog walked in first and was surprised to see another dog besides Butch in the house. Shia, the mother dog Amy had somewhat met, was out of the basement. She hardly ever came up, especially if Butch was around. She didn't like him anywhere near the puppies.

Speaking of which, Shadow was further startled to see little balls of fur wandering about – especially when one was suddenly scrambling onto his boot. Turning, he peered into the living room where Manic lied on the floor.

The oldest puppy clambered on top of Manic as the green hedgehog innocently smiled at Shadow. "They looked like they needed some fresh air."

The only thing that made Amy stop from hugging all of the puppies was the fact that she was waiting for Shadow to tell Manic to put them back in the basement, in their room. She glanced at the other four adults in the room and saw them with the same expression.

Sunny winced in advance as she feared for her boyfriend a little.

To their shock, Shadow merely patted Shia on the head as he turned towards the kitchen. "Just watch them, especially if you plan to take them outside – they wander."

As soon as Shadow was out of his view, Manic grinned like an idiot up at his four friends.

~.~

Thirty minutes had passed since the puppies were released, and Amy felt a sense of relief. The stress had vanished the moment she sat on the grass and two puppies crawled all over her.

She glanced up at the porch where their mother sat with a watchful eye. The dog looked like Butch, but with a lighter brown coat. Amy recalled her and the puppies when she had first gone down to use the computer in the basement. She had walked into the spare room where the puppies were kept.

They didn't seem that old, but were clearly curious as ever.

Butch was also curious, but he remained at the garage while Shadow worked on his truck. Amy sat on the grass in the front lawn, avoiding spots with snow still. Sunny and Manic were both lying nearby on the grass as well, letting the puppies hop around them. Blaze sat on the porch steps with Silver while Shia warmed up to no one but the feline.

The white hedgehog stood up once Shia had given another growl.

"Alright. I heard you," he gave a light laugh as he looked towards the garage. Butch was poking his head out and staring at the puppies with curiosity. "I'll be right back, Blaze."

Her fingers linked his all of a sudden and he stopped to look back at her. She offered him a warm smile before letting go. Silver continued his short walk on the sidewalk and looked into the garage. Shadow had kept the garage door open as he worked on the truck.

"Problems?"

"Minor," was his response.

Silver looked back at Amy, who was completely oblivious. He walked in the garage and sat at the only stool by a work bench. Shadow was leaned over against his truck with the front hood propped open.

"Listen, Shadow, I want to apologize."

"What for?"

"Look, when Amy moved here, Blaze and I were completely against it. Blaze more so than I. We didn't feel like she should interfere with you guys. I mean, we all went our separate ways. We have our own lives now. Blaze worried that Amy wouldn't fit in because she was living in the past."

"She's not living in the past," Shadow murmured as he stood straight, cleaning off his greasy hands with a rag. "While Amy wasn't exactly invited by _me,_ we weren't going to throw her out."

"We felt that she was intruding."

"And she was, for a short time," Shadow admitted.

"I'm not here to play matchmaker like the rest of these guys," Silver bluntly spoke. "It seems they aren't even trying much to begin with."

"Probably because it's futile."

"Is it?"

Shadow glanced up at the white hedgehog. Silver might not have been pushing them together, but his words seemed to say otherwise. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't think you're right for Amy. Or at least, I'm not convinced yet. Everyone thinks Amy is good for you – and maybe she is. But you're going to have an effect on her just like she's going to have an effect on you. They aren't looking at that part though."

"I'm uncontrollable right now," Shadow mumbled as he looked at Butch. The dog continued to look at the puppies playing on the lawn. Red eyes travelled to Amy, who was still playing with the two puppies that continued to run around her. "I fear I might hurt Amy, which I don't want to happen. I've felt stirrings for her throughout our time together, which sometimes gets the better of me."

Silver, intrigued and confused, sat straighter as he furrowed his eyebrows, "Stirrings? Like emotions?"

The Ultimate Life Form opened his mouth to say something, but nothing coherent came out. His eyes went blank and dazed as his head ran out of things to say. He realized he might have just walked himself into a corner he didn't want to be in – and with Silver of all people.

Gulping, Shadow remained quiet while he turned back to his work.

"Shadow?"

He placed his hands on the truck and leaned against it. "I wish I could understand the jumbled mess my mind has become, but I feel myself getting further lost the longer she's here – the more we interact and talk – the more we get to know one another."

Silver swallowed as he listened to the words. _I don't think this is an animalistic thing anymore._ Fear developed in the white hedgehog. _I think Shadow's actually falling love with Amy. Holy shit._

Shadow went back to the vehicle in front of him, pretending as if Silver wasn't there anymore.

It gave the latter some time to think.

Amber eyes watched the ebony hedgehog carefully. _I still don't think he's good for Amy. But look at him – he genuinely looks confused about his feelings for Amy. And if those feelings are growing…His instinct will drive him into further confusion, that's for sure._

 _Unless…_

Silver thought about the woman in question.

Amy Rose was someone he didn't see with Shadow the Hedgehog. People were trying to push them together, but didn't seem to put any action behind their words. It made Silver assume they didn't see the relationship as a serious one. Except for maybe Sonic.

 _Still. No one's showing any action when they want to play matchmaker._

Silver put his finger to his lips, contemplating on his next choice.

 _I must be out of my mind if I'm going to be that one to actually make a move. Even when I'm not matchmaking. But, I've got to see if Shadow's any good for Amy. We barely know him for Christ's sake whereas Amy knows him more personally. She's by far closer to him – especially if he's acting like this._

 _She's made some sort of impression on him._

 _If Shadow's instincts confuse him further, it'll spell out ruin for his and Amy's friendship. But, if I can get Shadow to see what his feelings are, then we'll all know whether or not Shadow feels something. But that requires getting the instinct thing out of the way – but to do that; we need it on the same side._

 _Therefore, a date._

Silver mulled it over.

The solutions to Amy and Shadow's problem were simple. They could both go their separate ways and never hear from each other again, or they could date.

 _It was all spelled out in Sally's book._ _At least, what I remember of it._ Silver hummed out loud and then pursed his lips.

 _Now, just to get Shadow to agree with this crazy plan. I've never seen him as the type to date. Still, if the entire idea lies around whether or not Shadow and Amy could be in a relationship, then they'd have to at least go on one date._

"Well, I could help you figure out this…tangled mess of emotions. If you'd like," Silver shrugged coolly and stared out at the driveway and lone pine tree among weeds. "I know we aren't particularly on good terms, but I came over to apologize and start over."

"You and Amy must rub off on one another," Shadow grumbled as he closed the hood of his truck. He threw the rag on the hood and stared at the white hedgehog. "You want some kind of therapy session where I tell you all of my emotions or something?"

"No. It's simple and it doesn't even involve me very much," Silver responded. He cleared his throat. "That Elisa woman talked about a birthday party, no?"

"Jo Wilson's birthday is coming up. We're roped into going to it every year," Shadow explained but narrowed his eyebrows. "What does that have to do with how I might be feeling for Amy?" he felt stupid saying the words to Silver – to the person that had dated Amy.

It all felt childish and awkward.

Silver leaned against the workbench, keeping his spot on the stool. "Like I said, it's simple. You just have to ask Amy out on a date. If you're really starting to have affections for her, they'll show on their own. You won't be lost anymore."

He scoffed, and Silver wasn't surprised to hear it. "I'm not doing _that_. What if I-"

"It would actually help your instincts, Shadow." Silver made sure to never lose eye contact with the obstinate male. "To figure how you feel about Amy, you _will_ have to spend some sentimental time with her. You know that."

"Look, I've been on blind dates before set up by the Wilson's –"

"Then this won't be hard," Silver reassured him as he stood from the stool and clapped Shadow on the shoulder. "Unlike those blind dates, you actually know Amy."

It was surprising to hear Shadow had been on dates, but it gave Silver some reassurance himself. It meant that Shadow would actually know what a date meant and what to do on one. Silver wouldn't have to be there every step of the way to give him pointers.

"I would suggest the birthday party. I think Blaze told me earlier that Elisa said something similar. Though I'm sure Blaze meant to tell me out of humor, I think you should listen to Elisa."

"You don't see Amy and I together. Why are you suddenly pushing this?" Shadow backed away from him cautiously, as none of it made any sense to him.

Silver shrugged, "Because no one else is doing anything. And instead of sitting here and watching, I'm going to figure out this problem. For Amy's sake if anything."

Shadow observed him for quite some time in complete silence, mostly thinking about the car ride with Amy. And another problem that seemed to be rising.

Reluctantly, he sighed. "Fine…but I have a task in return."

Silver raised an eyebrow as Shadow folded his arms across his chest. "I'll go on a date with Amy to amuse you, whether it be the birthday party or not. I doubt anything will happen. But I need your help in return, and Sonic's. I need help in doing something."

"What is it?" the white hedgehog was intrigued now with his ears pointing towards Shadow. He leaned forward in anticipation at the seriousness. It seemed to have nothing to do with Amy. If it had to do with Sonic's help, then it was important.

Shadow glanced at the pink hedgehog sitting on the lawn still. Amy had been wrong when she accused him of avoiding problems. He just didn't want her to get hurt – even if that meant he had to go behind her back.

"I need to find someone by the name of Rosy the Rascal."

* * *

He had been working in the tractor shed, losing track of time and getting lost in his thoughts.

 _Thinks are getting more out of hand than I originally thought._

Red eyes stared at the filters for the combine. He mulled the conversation with Silver over as he worked.

 _While Silver looks into the Rosy issue with Sonic – who I hope he's told – I get to figure out how to ask a girl out. Not just any girl either._

The thought of asking Amy Rose out made him nervous.

What signs would that send? Especially to someone he knew as a hopeless romantic? Would she think he liked her? _Did_ he like her?

Shadow shook his head, hoping to get rid of the questions, at least.

 _I swear to God, if anything else happens, I'm going to snap again. Ever since Amy showed up, one thing after another has happened – and none of it's peaceful._

 _Now I've got more shit to worry about. First, Amy comes out with overhearing Scourge's phone call. And her crazy theories about Samwell Turner. Then Silver somehow convinces me to ask said female out on a date to figure out this mess on what I feel for her._

 _It's a foreign feeling. That much I know for sure – but it's affection. A want for her. A desire to have her caused by more than just instinct. Amy radiates this feeling that ropes me in. It's something I can't explain._

He grabbed the air filter and went back to the combine – back to more work that never seemed to end. At least he had good, soft rock playing on the radio. That much kept his thoughts from driving him insane in total silence.

Shadow went straight to replacing the filter and failed to hear the side door opening.

A figure walked into the light and shuffled their feet a little.

Amy seemed hesitant to walk over and disturb Shadow. She yawned and rubbed her eyes before trudging over calmly in her pajamas.

"Shadow?"

The ebony hedgehog's ears perked up. He turned around and raised an eyebrow at Amy. "Rose, what are you doing?" he looked her up and down as she yawned again.

"It's almost ten-thirty, Shadow."

"So, go to bed."

Instead, Amy sat on a handy stool near the workbench and toolbox. She seemed wide awake now, causing Shadow to roll his eyes at the combine and away from her. Her added presence meant only more talking and less silence.

"Who's Uncle Jo?" she repeated her question from earlier.

He put his attention back to the combine. "Jo is Frank's brother. He's the one who gave me the cattle, really. While Frank is the agriculture side of the Wilson family, Jo is more of the livestock rancher. Both brothers inherited their parents' farm, which was enough for both to split up and still live off of."

Amy pursed her lips as she leaned an elbow on the workbench. "For a second there, I thought Frank was an only child. What's Jo like?"

"Not much different than Frank. More dramatic, if you ask me. While Frank gets to the point – most of the time – Jo likes to keep one guessing. In other words, if you want help with a problem, Frank will tell you how to solve it while Jo gives you hints and has you solve it on your own."

"Let me guess, you go to Jo more?"

"Both have different opinions. They weren't exactly twins. In fact…" he trailed off.

"In fact what?"

"Well, Jo _did_ have a twin."

Amy frowned as her ears folded back. "What happened?"

"They had a sister, Charlotte," Shadow hesitated. "She died when she was seven."

"How?" the rose hedgehog gulped as she gripped the edge of the stool seat.

Shadow shrugged. His quills were faced towards her as he continued to work on the combine. The large machine towered over the two. "They don't go into detail about it. I only got it out of Elisa once, but they apparently don't talk about Charlotte much. They just celebrate her birthday along with Jo's with just the family."

"Are you a part of that celebration?"

"No."

Amy went silent as she licked her lips.

Shadow sighed and continued, "She drowned. According to Elisa, Charlotte fell into one of the main canals for irrigation. They were unsafe back then – some are still unsafe now. It wasn't too terribly common back then, but it happened more then than it does now."

"Have you heard of it happening in the time you've lived here?" Amy pried.

"Just once. A little boy about the age of four fell in and drowned before his older brother could save him. Family friends of the Wilson's, actually. It happened a year and a half in."

"What happened to the family?"

"They live further up north, but they didn't move away," Shadow shrugged. He could sense Amy's pity. "They're still around."

"That's so…depressing to think about," Amy stated as she clasped her hands. "God, I would hate for that to be my kid," she whispered.

Shadow felt some sort of tug towards her at that point. A tiny voice, eerily sounding like Devil Shadow, scoffed at the thought. _"We'd never let our kid drown like that,"_ the annoying voice said within Shadow.

He growled under his breath. _Go away. Now is not the time._

Clearing his throat, Shadow agreed with the young flower. He went back to working in silence, but waited for Amy to speak. The rose hedgehog stared softly over at the male. She bit the inside of her cheek while plucking at her nails on one hand.

Glancing up, she exhaled. "I'm sorry for earlier."

Shadow sighed exasperatedly and looked over his shoulder at her. "I'm beginning to think that apologizing is all you really can do."

Amy lightly laughed and bit her bottom lip. "I came out to see if you were coming to bed," she proposed her original reason for finding him.

Shadow gripped the old air filter he had just replaced. "What? You can't sleep without your personal pillow?" he suddenly teased.

Hearing a positive response, she gave him a small smile. "Well, in my defense, _you're_ the cuddler."

"I am not."

"You so are, Ultimate Cuddler."

Shadow scoffed and rolled his eyes, setting the old air filter on the workbench. Now facing Amy, he stopped.

There was a moment – a short moment – where they stared at one another.

Amy sat on the stool and felt comfortable around him once again. It brought back her words with Sarah during lunch, before they got onto the topic of Rosy. The thought of making Shadow a silly little breakfast gift brought butterflies to her stomach for some reason. Perhaps it was the idea of _always_ making breakfast for him.

 _Always being here. Living here. Cooking breakfast as he comes in from feeding the animals. God, Amy, why do you do this to yourself?_ She asked herself mentally. The idea of her future containing Shadow excited her and yet terrified her at the same time.

 _It excites me because I'm falling for him. And it terrifies me because…I'm not sure if I_ should _be falling for him._

The comfortable feeling was so welcoming, yet she felt herself becoming somewhat guilty for falling into it with open arms. After all, there was no guarantee they'd be anything more than friends.

Amy tugged her front quill, deciding to break the silence – no matter how nice it felt.

"Are you almost done working?"

Staring at her with such sincerity and softness, Shadow sighed, "A few more minutes?"

"Okay."

Shadow turned and grabbed the next filter to replace.

She seemed to have waved off the entire truck ride, which made Shadow slightly suspicious of her even more. It wasn't like Amy to keep quiet about such things – things that could be a potential danger to anyone. The ebony male still felt as if he should watch her, but for now, he wasn't going to press the matter about Samwell.

If Amy thought he was going to do nothing about it, then so be it. Shadow preferred that way out – even though it would probably make Amy more furious with him if she found out he was getting involved but not letting her join in.

Shadow hoped she would realize that he was going behind her back to keep her safe.

The girl was enough trouble going to the grocery store – Lord knows what it would be like trying to keep track of her when they were intentionally trying to find Scourge and Rosy for answers. That was the game plan at least – or what Silver had suggested when Shadow told him everything – to find Scourge and Rosy first. Shadow just hoped that Silver had told Sonic because he really didn't want to repeat the crazy theories like Amy had.

The pink hedgehog in question turned a little on the stool, causing it to squeak. His ears twitched to the noise as he glanced in her direction. From the corner of his eye, he caught her yawning.

 _Perhaps, she should just go to bed now._ Shadow mulled it over, wondering if she would actually listen to him. He was about to speak when something dawned on him.

They were alone again. It would be the perfect time to ask her out.

 _After all, I have to stick to my end of the deal with Silver._ That was his excuse, at least. It wasn't because Devil Shadow was whooping in his head. No, nothing like that at all. Not one inch of him was happy about the idea of asking Amy Rose out.

 _It's just jitters. Totally not excitement._

He swallowed heavily, thinking about how one asked a girl out. Normally, the blind dates just walked up and said hello, or they ran away in fright. How the hell was he supposed to ask _Amy Rose_ of all people out on a date?

There was a little more pressure involved this time around.

Silver was right – this was different than a blind date because he knew Amy. He hadn't known the blind dates. That was the whole point. But he knew Amy, and he knew Amy quite well.

 _Just, speak calmly. Act calm. Don't give any hints – she might think you like her when we don't know if we like her romantically._ Shadow mustered up the courage and the words.

"Speaking of the Wilson's and whatnot…we have a party to go."

"Yeah…" Amy patiently waited on the stool, crossing her legs. She smiled thinly at the memory of Elisa winking at her. "Elisa sure has a way of putting some things, doesn't she?"

It had been more or less a mumble that didn't exactly need a response, but Amy got one. And she almost fell out of her seat when Shadow spoke.

"Yes, well. On account of our problem, I figure it wouldn't hurt to go on a date."

He said it quite quickly, and it almost went through one ear and out the other for Amy. She had to do a double take and look at Shadow's back as if he were a lunatic. Her heart thumped against her chest and her cheeks flushed.

School girl thoughts began to reel out of control as Amy froze. "What?"

"You could say I've been given advice. It might help our situation," he twisted around slightly to motion between them.

"You mean deepen it," Amy almost stuttered, although she didn't plan to say that part out loud. She winced after saying the words with such a fearful tone. Not to mention, it hurt even more when Shadow turned to give her an offended look.

A genuine look of hurt flashed across his face. "What do you mean by that?"

Rubbing the back of her neck, Amy avoided his gaze. "It's just a birthday party, Shadow…We don't actually have to listen to Elisa."

"I'm not listening to Elisa."

"I don't think dating is really the best solution to our problem, Shadow," Amy suddenly spoke, yet she wished she could backtrack everything she said. She closed her eyes, wishing for her mouth to stop talking for once.

 _Who are you kidding?!_ She screamed in her head. _You were imagining being with him just a few seconds ago! You wouldn't mind going on a date with him! He's right here in front of you, mustering up his courage to ask you out on a date! And you're being a pansy!_

"What are you saying? You _won't_ be my date to Jo's birthday party?"

"Again, it's a birthday party, Shadow," Amy gritted her teeth. "People don't typically bring dates to a birthday party. Advice or not."

"Fine, you won't go on a date with me in general? Is it because I'm the Ultimate Life Form?" Shadow slowly cornered her by the table. Amy gripped the workbench. "Because I'm a monster to society still? I'm not exactly your dream guy and this problem we have is nothing more than something we should walk away from?"

Amy gulped as her eyes widened. _Wait…wait…is he actually…does he actually feel something for me? Because it sure as hell feels like it._

Timidly and shakily, she faced him. Green eyes never looked so frightened. "That's not it all. It's just…I'm getting comfortable here."

He raised an eyebrow as his body towered over him, "Meaning?"

Amy's head yelled at her to not say another word, but she found herself not listening to her head.

Instead, her heart led the way – and she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. But she was almost 75% positive that some sort of emotion swirled in those ruby eyes. An emotion of love mixed with the pain of rejection.

It caused the tether between them to tighten. Amy felt a twist in her chest as she felt somewhat guilty for saying anything to begin with – but Shadow wasn't making anything easier by confusing her.

 _Does he like me? Or is he just offended?_

"If I get attached to this place, I can take a picture of it and eventually get over moving away," Amy softly and leisurely confessed. "But if I get attached to you any further, I'm afraid I won't ever leave."

She felt his body freeze in front of her as he registered her words. Amy bit her bottom lip as she took a glimpse up at him.

"Any further?" he quoted with curiosity – a curious tone that made Amy fear of being rejected herself.

Instead of running away at that point in time, Amy thought about the idea of dating Shadow seriously. Of getting attached to him and this place she called home now. She knew she hadn't been crazy when she felt like her future had Shadow in it.

The puzzle pieces were fitting, and she was ready to accept them. _Unless he doesn't feel the same way._ Amy continued to doubt in fear.

Instead of responding right away, Amy closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his chest. "I'm beyond torn right now, Shadow," she admitted with a soft plea. "You overheard Silver and I talking. He doesn't think you're good for me. Everyone else thinks that I'm good for you."

She looked up at him with those loving green eyes. "We're so rocky together that I'm afraid one date would make our friendship crumble. I'm tired of fighting and apologizing only to repeat it all over again. Just because most people think we should be together…doesn't always mean it's for the best. Especially in our case…when it's just an animal instinct problem pushing us every which way."

Amy's gasp faltered as she felt his thumb brush against her cheek.

"I'm tired of hearing what other people think about us. I want to see what we would be like together for myself – not under the predictions of other people."

A sense of relief washed over her at that moment.

Red eyes warmly stared down at her as her cheeks were probably red as a tomato. Shadow hesitantly brought his palm up as she leaned her cheek into it. He was unsure of what to do, but he let the instinct carry on. His movements were choppy and slow as he didn't want to screw anything up.

His head was moving too fast for him to keep up though.

 _Did…Did I just ask her out or…did I just confess something I'm not entirely sure of yet?_

Shadow licked his lips and tilted his head. "So, what does this mean exactly?"

Her watery laugh made his ears twitch towards her. He didn't even notice that her eyes had filled with tears.

 _Just what the hell is she crying about now? I didn't do anything wrong, did I? Did I miss a step?_

"I think it means we're going on a date," she whispered in response.

Her next movement was too fast for Shadow to register at first. Her lips brushed against his cheek. Her arms wrapped around his neck as his hands gripped her hips. She pecked him on the cheek and pulled away in a blink of an eye.

Shadow opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted as the side door opened again.

They pulled away further so they weren't touching at all. The person coming in would have no chance to see them so close. Amy's cheeks flushed, but she squinted to see who was in the dark. Fast-paced footsteps were the only thing she could hear for a few seconds.

"Shadow!" Sarah ran out of the shadows and into the light. Her eyes were alert and wide – and dare Shadow say he thought that he saw tears.

"Shadow, you've got to come quick!" she suddenly hiccupped.

She _had_ been crying.

The Ultimate Life Form froze.

This was different than when he froze upon hearing Amy felt something for him.

Sarah almost never cried.

To see her crying put him in a state that he didn't how to respond to. In their years of knowing each other, Shadow never had to deal with this situation. It was different than dealing with Amy's tears. It was _Sarah._

The panic written across her face was enough to reciprocate the same feelings across to him. Fear developed in his chest as he tried to muster a word out. Intense fear – something was wrong.

 _What the hell is happening?_ Shadow didn't want to move in case the entire Earth crumbled underneath his feet. He didn't like feeling so goddamn weak, but it was painfully clear that something was terribly wrong.

"Sarah, what's going on?" Amy folded her arms across her stomach as she cautiously approached the distressed female. "What's wrong?"

"It's Sonic – I mean," Sarah sniffed as she closed her eyes and reopened them. She had to clear her thoughts before her words would make any sense. "Shadow, please you've got to do something. I've never seen him like this."

A greater fear rose up. Shadow's eyes were wider than Amy had ever seen them, and yet all the Ultimate Life Form could do was stand there.

"Sarah, what are you talking about? What's wrong with Sonic?" Amy grabbed Sarah's arm gently.

She was shocked at the sudden claws digging into her arm. She bit back the pain as Sarah's arm shook. It was then that Amy noticed Sarah's entire body was trembling. Shadow noticed it, too.

An alarm blared off in his head.

'Something wrong with Sonic,' wasn't a thing he typically heard. There were only a few things that could make Sonic lose his calm. But Shadow couldn't place what would possibly do that _and_ make Sarah cry to the point she looked emotionally drained and yet terrified at the same time.

 _It would have be something serious – injury or something. Sarah's fine, though. I'm fine. Manic was asleep when I walked out an hour ago. Sonia, Flame – the kids. Maybe something with them – No._

It hit him like a freight train.

 _No, no, no. Please, no. Not her._

He closed his eyes, praying to God that it wasn't what he thought it was. He prayed that his guess was far from the truth.

Amy was gently pushed away.

She watched with fright as Shadow grasped Sarah's shoulders. The lime green hedgehog was still catching her breath as Shadow grabbed her chin and made her look at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself.

The rose hedgehog standing before them didn't want to say Shadow looked scared or tearful. But it was something in between. Finally, he spoke.

"Sarah. Please, tell me it's not Aleena."

* * *

 _..._

 _Okay, so this chapter…Yeah. I hope it wasn't too cringey for ya. Lmao. Because some parts...Eesh, they were a bitch to write. One part in particular had TONS of editing. But, hey, at least Shadow and Amy's relationship is slowly getting somewhere...if only the moment hadn't been ruined... XD_

 _Every chapter is getting harder to write now. A lot of editing. A lot of help from MistyVoid48 (THANK YOU, YOU KIND HUMAN BEING). It might be because a lot of things are happening in the plot right now – a lot of conflicts between characters externally and internally. We'll make it work. Might just be a longer story than the original one, however. :) Thankfully, I haven't really felt pressured with this story – in updating quickly and whatnot. It helps me figure out things that I can do for the story that fixes problems in the future (hopefully)._

 _You readers are so patient and you all (I hope) put up with my procrastinating and my slow updating. I can't thank you all enough for the support – I love you all! Whenever I fall into a rut where I'm emotionally drained (happens more often than not), I know there are always the loyal readers that will sit and wait. And I honestly appreciate you guys so much._

 _I hope this story is going well for you readers because I honestly cannot tell anymore. I kind of quit following main things of the old version of TCG and just started writing something almost entirely different and new. XD It's a fun little experiment that keeps me going with TCG (since it's been almost four years that I'm stuck on the same story, lol, and it can definitely get tedious at times). I hope you readers are enjoying some of it, at least. :P_

 _Have a great rest of the week. I will try and get something posted this weekend or early next week. I apologize for the long author's notes at the beginning of the chapter and at the end. Remember to spread those positive vibes!_

 _Arrivederci!_


	24. Silence

**STH © SEGA/Archie**

 **Sarah, Peter, Samwell, Rosemary & the Wilson Family © Cozy Shadow **

**Flame, Petunia, Jeffery, and Sunny © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands or names (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _My poll is still going for those of you who haven't voted yet. The poll will probably be up until TCG is nearly done. I don't know exactly when that'll be right now, but hopefully I'll have this story done by spring sometime. Hopefully sooner. :D Until, then, thanks for the people who have already voted on the poll!_

 _I DID IT! **Definitely a WAY shorter chapter than usual, but I have my reasons which will be explained in the author's note at the ending.** I'm not too proud of this chapter, considering it's kind of sad. Doesn't go into much detail. I kind of wanted to save that for a morning, breakfast scene next chapter. Or something. Again, this was a very chill chapter. Not much excitement or new information to take in. Just something…Not sure the feeling, but it's certainly a calm one for me._

 _Enjoy, readers!_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Four:**

 **Silence**

The ride was quiet, but Amy didn't expect anything different.

There were hardly any sounds besides the vehicle and the radio softly playing. She could barely hear it from the back of Sonic's truck while Manic and Sunny sat beside her. Glancing over, Amy frowned in pity.

Sunny and Manic ignored the seatbelts as they somehow clung onto each other. Manic leaned against the window as Sunny had been squished in the middle. His arms tightly wrapped around his girlfriend as he closed his eyes.

Amy could tell he wasn't asleep.

His expression was full of pain and agony. He was merely closing his eyes to stop the tears that shed anyway.

It broke the pink hedgehog's heart to watch Manic and Sunny both grow silent and solemn. While she hadn't known either of them for very long, Amy knew both were chatterboxes of sorts. She had been quite surprised, but also relieved, when she had gone into the house with Shadow to see Manic with his mouth shut.

Amy had feared that Sonic and Manic would have gotten into an argument by now.

 _Speaking of which…_ Tearfully, Amy stared at the blue hedgehog in the passenger seat.

Sonic had his arm propped up against the window. His hand reached the side of his head as he leaned against it and gazed into the darkness. His eyes were glazed over, but anyone could tell there was fright hidden in those green eyes.

Amy slumped in her seat behind Shadow – who was driving – and bit her lip. She looked out the window as she recalled the events following up to them all getting in the truck.

 _Sarah had looked so scared when she told us something was wrong with Aleena. I've never seen Shadow move so quickly for Sonic's sake in my life._

 _Sonic…_ She stared out into the darkness, only seeing her own reflection. _By the time we showed up, he was nothing but a mess – crumpled onto the carpet and trembling. He kept mumbling something though._

 _But now, he's grown quiet. We all have._

Amy sighed as she looked up at the front seat again.

Sarah was placed between Shadow and Sonic. The lime green hedgehog, despite her best attempts, couldn't comfort Sonic. So, she merely held onto his arm for her own comfort. Shadow remained stoic as he drove. He never moved a muscle as far as Amy could tell.

 _I hope Tails drives safely. Blaze and Silver didn't have to come but…it's nice that they did._ Amy leaned her forehead against the window and closed her eyes. _I can't believe this is happening…_

The shock was still hitting her, but it was a silent attacker. Amy swallowed and opened her eyes. She took a glimpse at the road ahead of them.

 _We're almost to town._ She thought about arriving to the lit town, wondering how Sonia was holding up at the hospital with her mother. A mother on a deathbed.

Amy was about to go back to her position against the window when something caught her eye. As a car passed them, the headlights reflected in the rearview mirror, which in turn reflected against all six passengers. But it made something twinkle for a split second in the corner of Sonic's eye.

Then it was gone.

The car was in front of them, and Amy had to look closely at the hero.

Sympathy had been crashing through Amy like a tsunami. But this time, she felt something crumble within her at the sight of Sonic trying to hold himself together.

 _No doubt something he's probably learned from Shadow. To be rough on the outside…I've seen Sonic cry easily during the war on Mobius – but this. This is something completely different and more personal, and it tears me apart that he's trying to hold in any emotion._

Amy looked in the rearview mirror as she sat up and caught the attention of certain red eyes.

Shadow skimmed back at her through the mirror for a second. A once emotionless gaze had been filled with sorrow.

 _How well did he know Aleena? Well…If Sarah was so concerned about Sonic, then, I guess Aleena is a very touchy subject around Sonic. Like how he exploded when Manic asked about her. So, if something's happened to her, then Shadow would of course be sad. He's one of Sonic's best friends – they're like brothers._

 _If anything, Aleena might be like a mother to Shadow. Or at least, Shadow cares enough for Sonic to realize how this will affect him._

The thought made her bottom lip tremble. Mostly it was about the idea of her showing up only to never see Aleena again – or at least talk to her.

 _I remember her. She was so kind and gentle. Motherly and warm. She helped comfort me when I lost the group of Mobians I was supposed to lead._ Amy curled up into a ball against the door. The window was cool to the touch against her forehead again. _But after the portal, I remember vaguely something was wrong with her. She was always getting sicker and weaker by the minute until they moved out West – which I'm assuming now, was here._

Amy let the first tear fall, but hoped that she didn't start sniffling. She didn't want to catch attention from anyone and disturb their thoughts.

 _I'd give anything to just go back in time and never have this happen. Why now? Why her? Just when something was kind of looking up between Shadow and I, something had to come and ruin the moment._

Sure. It was a selfish thought, but Amy truly did feel heartbroken over Aleena. The situation was terrifying to Amy, no doubt. Unfortunately, she still felt somewhat cheated out of a perfectly good moment with Shadow.

 _Oh, please. You almost said no to him back there. Why didn't you just suck it up then and tell him that you're starting to feel something for him? Because you're scared of rejection? Get a grip, Amy. The worst he's going to say is, "No." Well, that HAD been the worst he could have said. But clearly, he feels SOMETHING for us. He's simply unsure right now – but he wants to go on a date to figure it out._

Amy bit her bottom lip, as she normally did when she also blushed.

 _But who knows when that's going to be. For a date right now, I'd rather take a birthday party than a funeral. Now, I'm afraid we might have to miss it entirely for a funeral._

 _A birthday party switched for a funeral…_

Amy opened her eyes.

She was unaware of Shadow casually checking up on her every now and then as he drove, looking in the rearview mirror. He was concerned about the blank stare she was giving the window – a blank stare with tear-filled eyes.

It reminded him of the day Sarah had Amy try on bridesmaid dresses. The day after Amy had insulted him. She was so quiet and lifeless, it irked him. Now, it terrified him more than anything.

The rose hedgehog was still in deep thought.

 _I wonder if that's what the Wilson's feel. They have a birthday party for Jo and Charlotte, one of which is dead. So, wouldn't that be like reliving a funeral as well? Over and over again…I wonder if it feels like that for some of the relatives. Celebrate a birthday party for Jo every year only to mourn the death of Charlotte a few hours later._

 _I wonder if they've heard about Aleena yet. I wonder if Tails called them. Sarah didn't. Sonic couldn't make any coherent words out. They probably haven't. This only means that we'll be bombarded with condolences if we still go to the birthday party._

Her reflection looked pathetic.

They were getting closer to town.

Closer to the hospital.

Closer to Aleena.

Amy, one last time, looked over at Sonic. His eyes had shifted with emotion and gaze – now he was looking at the town with anxiety. His fingers were twitching, as if he wished he could have just run there instead.

Exhaling heavily, the pink flower threw away her optimism and wore her doleful expression. The shock was settling in at the thought of Aleena dying – the thought gripping at her heart strings. The tears were suddenly running down her cheeks faster as her vision blurred.

 _If I can't handle this right now, how the hell am I supposed to handle condolences without bursting into tears?_

 _How are any of us going to handle this?_

* * *

Balancing two children in his lap had never been easy.

Flame Summers watched his son squirm in his sleep. Petunia remained still as Flame's phone rested on her awkwardly. Flame merely had his arms wrapped around the children as he stared at the tile floor.

The hospital was never inviting to him.

There was a movement against him. He glanced over at his sleeping mate. Sonia rested against his shoulder, finally catching some sleep despite the tear stains down her cheeks. She had been waiting for her brothers to show up, and for the doctor to let them into the room. But neither of those things had happened since they had shown up.

It took long enough for Flame to convince his wife to get some sleep.

 _I can persuade practically anyone – hypnotize them to do my biddings. Yet, not her._ He huffed at the memory of her wailing herself to sleep. _It did her no good. I told her to go to sleep – that I'd wake her when Sonic arrives, but nooooooo. She just couldn't –_

Jeffery wiggled a greater amount than he had been, indicating he might be waking up. Flame sighed and quit complaining about Sonia's stubbornness. Instead, he softly combed through Jeffery's ruffled, no-Mohawk hair.

 _It's bad enough this is happening; we don't need Sonia more tired than she already is. Or what if she gets sick throughout this?_ Flame pondered about it. _Shit, that can happen, can't it?_

Petunia twitched as Sonia gently murmured something in her sleep. Flame leaned against the uncomfortable seat and softly smiled at his family. _Despite the situation…at least we're together. At least Sonic isn't halfway across the world and can't be here. Or at least Manic showed up and didn't disappear again._

 _At least Sonia has some support that can understand her better than I can right now._

Flame tilted his head back.

He hadn't really known Aleena much. He hadn't really spoken with her – she had always been sick and frail. If she wasn't in the hospital for one thing, she was in the hospital for another. Then she began to lose memory, according to Sonia. Manic left around that time. He couldn't handle it. He had broken down. But Sonia and Sonic had stayed around – mostly Sonic. At that time, Sonia had a kid to care for, and eventually another one. Sonic came by so many times that Flame had lost count.

 _Honestly, how Sarah wasn't annoyed with him always being gone, I'll never know. Sonia hates it when I go down the block to the gas station for a quick energy drink. Then again, Sarah probably enjoyed the peace and quiet._

He glimpsed at his kids, wishing for the same peace and quiet at home. If it wasn't Sonia talking in his ear, it was the kids talking in his ear.

 _I can't win for losing._

At that moment, the elevator door opened down the hallway.

Flame didn't have to look to know who it was by the footsteps. Still, he greeted Sonic and the group with a small nod. He just prayed they didn't ask him question after question.

Thankfully, Manic and Sonic stopped at their sleeping sister rather than at him directly. The rest of the group either remained standing or sat on the chairs. A purple cat sat beside Flame while a white hedgehog followed.

 _Silver and Blaze…Tails is here. Shadow, Sarah, and Amy. Manic's girlfriend Sunny. Everyone showed up._ Flame was a little surprised. He knew the two sitting beside him didn't know Aleena very well. And he didn't figure they'd help console Sonic or Manic any. They remained quiet as if to prove Flame's thoughts.

"Sonia?" Sonic reached out for his sister's shoulder. He shook her gently until she was awake, staring up at him and then at Manic.

There was a moment of silence, but Flame could feel his mate was about to burst into tears any moment.

Hugging her brothers tightly, Sonia did just that. Tears sped down her cheeks as she cried.

Tails stood further back, but remained standing. Sunny took a spot beside Silver and watched her boyfriend from the distance. Sarah took a seat across the hall and so did Amy. Shadow still stood somewhat near Sonic – in front of Flame.

By the time Manic pulled away from the embrace, Sonia was a mess. "Where is she?" he breathlessly asked, not wanting to know the answer.

"I was waiting for you guys, c'mon," Sonia tugged at their arms. "The doctor will let us see her by now probably – he only told me that…she won't last the night," she quietly answered.

Sonic glanced over at Manic. Both shared a look of remorse. They trudged down the hallway towards Aleena's room, both males asking their sister more questions as they went. The group watched until it became silent, and the three siblings were no longer visible.

Flame was about to sit back and sleep for a few minutes when he felt Shadow's presence still lingering. He frowned as he looked up at the ebony hedgehog, figuring Shadow wanted to make sure the kids were alright. Instead, and to Flame's surprise, Shadow was looking at another thing – Flame's phone.

"You have a text from someone."

The phone had barely lit up. Flame glanced down at the phone resting on Petunia. The unknown number came across the screen with the words that made a shiver run down his spine.

' _Is she dead yet?'_

He gritted his teeth and grabbed it, ignoring the text for now.

"A relative with a new phone," he mumbled. He looked up at Shadow, wishing he could at least stand up and look down at the Ultimate Life Form – the added height he had against Shadow made him feel somewhat superior, "Was close with Sonia."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. The ebony hedgehog's quills lightly ruffled. _That's not quite how someone with condolences would probably phrase it…_

The dark male's gaze wandered over to Amy, who was curled up in a chair next to Sarah across the hall still. He wondered about the spy theory that Amy had. Turning away from Flame, Shadow took the empty sit on Amy's left.

Staring across the hall at the bright orange hedgehog, Shadow watched him.

Flame seemed to have felt that he had convinced Shadow in a way. He relaxed in the chair, holding Petunia and Jeffery still.

Closing his eyes, Flame became oblivious to the Mobian watching him.

Red eyes lit up with curiosity. This time, he noticed something. Staring at the kids and thinking back to the Valentine's Day "sleepover" they had…and Flame's reasoning on seeing his relatives during the weekend with Sonia –

A thought dawned upon him in the short years of knowing Flame.

 _We've never actually seen Flame's relatives – not in person or a picture._

* * *

"She hasn't spoken much. I warn you, she might not remember where she is."

The three siblings stood in the doorway after the doctor finally let them in. He left to give them some time alone with their mother. But all they could do was stare.

Sonic was the first to make a move.

By the time he reached her bedside, it was evident that Aleena was weak. Her eyes barely opened, but it was the sudden twitch of her mouth trying to form a smile that made Sonic falter. He sat in the chair next to her bed, grabbing her hand. Sonia followed until she was standing beside Sonic.

Aleena softly smiled. It didn't look like a smile, but they knew what it was.

"Hey, Mom," Sonic nervously whispered.

Manic took his time. The room felt…sick. He didn't like it. Every instinct in him told him to bolt. Get out and get away from the emotions. But instead, the young adult went over to the other side of her bed, sitting on the other chair.

Aleena's eyes lit up at the sight of him.

It tugged at his heart. He grabbed her other hand as he sat. Giving her weak smile, Manic remained silent. He wasn't capable of words – it was the first time in months that he had seen her – in _years._

God, he felt awful.

He was a terrible child – he just knew it. His mother shouldn't smile at him like that, much less care that he was there.

Still, she managed to surprise him.

"Manny…"

The pause lasted for a split second.

But upon hearing her small whisper and letting the words register in his brain, Manic broke down. A choked sob came out of him as he leaned forward. Her hand managed to rest against his cheek – her only attempt at stopping the tears from falling.

"It's been two years…she remembers me?" his voice cracked and rose unevenly.

Sonia put her hand on Sonic's shoulder. "Even when you left, Sonic wasn't going to give up. Even when I couldn't be here that much because I had kids, Sonic was here."

Manic glanced across at his brother with teary eyes. Sonic was hesitant to meet his eye contact. When he did, a few tears were sliding down his cheek. "I felt like you didn't just give up on her – you gave up on our entire family. I wasn't going to do that. So, I visited more often and helped her remember the littlest, simplest, and most meaningful of things.

"But my bitterness towards you didn't really grow until she asked about you one day – about a year ago. And it tore me apart that...I couldn't answer her because none of us knew where you were and what you were doing. You hadn't done much to stay in contact unless it was once in a while."

Sonic held his mother's hand warmly as he looked at her. The female had shut her eyes, but the EKG was still going although it was growing faint. Manic glanced down as he loosened his grip on Aleena's other hand.

"I don't want to fight…" Sonic continued, much to Manic's disbelief really. He figured his brother would continue to ignore him – not reconcile. The blue blur must have sensed this as he looked at Manic. "We have our differences, but we'll always be family. And I'll be damned if I lose two family members in the same night," Sonic shakily whispered.

The two brothers stared at one another, but Sonia smiled warmly. Manic bowed his head slightly in agreement. He brought his mother's hand to his lips and softly kissed her cold fingers. Closing his eyes, Manic rested for the first time in a long time at Aleena's bedside.

Sonic turned his attention to his mother before the door opened. They turned to see the doctor approaching them.

"Is there anyone else wanting in the room?"

"Yes. We have family and close friends," Sonia responded. "May they come in before she…" Sonia trailed off as it felt like a rock got stuck in her throat.

"Yes – you can let them in now," the doctor nodded his head and left the room once again.

Sonia turned to her brothers. "I guess that was all he had to say." She watched as Sonic stood. He motioned towards his spot and lightly pushed her towards the chair.

"I'll go get the others," he volunteered and left the room before Sonia could sit down.

It was silent yet again in the room, all except for the heart machine. The remaining siblings sat in the room that felt eerily cold, letting the tears continue to fall.

~.~

It had felt like an eternity for Shadow.

He passed the time by watching the male across the hall – the bright orange hedgehog he thought he had once known inside and out.

"Where's Momma?" Petunia pouted as she clung to her father.

Flame purely shushed her and kissed her on the forehead. He was ignorant to the ebony Mobian staring at him.

The Mobian that was slowly becoming suspicious.

 _No one receives a text like that and waves it off. The more I think about it – about Amy's crazy theory of spies and how Flame just…appeared – it all looks suspicious. How did Sonia meet him? Sonic said school, but Flame's let it slip that he never went to college. He didn't have the money._

 _Perhaps Amy's assumption wasn't too farfetched as I originally thought. But where did Flame come into the picture? I could be far off in this guess, but still…_

The text chilled Shadow.

He didn't regularly "text" anyone. But he knew from texts with Sonic that someone wouldn't ask, ' _Is she dead yet?'_ over text if they really cared for Aleena. It felt a little…off.

Something about the way Flame had waved it off brought more doubts to Shadow's head. The male had seemed like he didn't want to talk about the text at all.

 _And an unknown number. He just said it was a relative with a new phone. But…phone numbers don't always change, do they?_ Shadow pondered on it.

He wasn't as tech savvy as some – as Peter Worthington for example – and he wasn't very sure on how everything work nowadays. But he vaguely remembered Sarah getting a new phone a year ago. Making sure she had his number, Shadow had asked if hers was any different. He had thought about her odd look for a few days, a little embarrassed and confused at the same time. It had merely been a question and she had looked at him as if he were the world's biggest fool.

 _And if the relative was good friends with Sonia and knew about Aleena's failing health, then wouldn't they have communicated with Flame over text earlier? Perhaps they did have a different number, and Flame was slow to put them in their contacts._ That was a possibility, he figured.

Still, there was something that had him unsettled. Flame wasn't telling the truth – that much he knew.

 _There must be a way we can figure out who these spies could be…If they have Peter on their side, then that gives them an advantage in this modern day and age. Which means we need someone with contacts that could do what Peter could._

His gaze went to Silver. The white hedgehog slept against Blaze. _He had said he could find out where Rosy was by making a few calls. Whatever he does for work must be something important, considering he didn't explain it in full detail. But if he has contacts that could find out that type of information, then we can use that to our advantage. Find out where Rosy has been – where Scourge has been. And why they're here now._

 _I wonder if his contacts would find it odd if I add Peter Worthington and Flame Summers to the list…_

Shadow narrowed his eyes in thought. There was an added weight to his right side, which he knew was Amy, but he paid no mind to it.

 _Who else could possibly help us get that sort of information? Tails…No. He's had ties with the government before – they're watching him closely, due to his ability in making dangerous weapons out of paperclips and shaving cream._

 _Besides, we need someone with contacts, as they call it. Someone who's good with persuading others and holds authority over them. Someone like –_

 _Rouge._

The name hit him, and he was reluctant to think if she could actually do anything about it.

 _She probably could. The bat's resourceful and has so many contacts, I lost count. She might still have some that are either criminals on the most wanted list or the highest paid government officials that could easily get their hands on such files._

 _But would she do it?_

 _Well, if I told her the crazy theory Amy had – she probably would in order to join us in eliminating Samwell Turner. As long as she didn't tell Amy._

Just the thought of trying to keep the rose hedgehog out of trouble brought a great deal of stress on the Ultimate Life Form. He wasn't sure how long he could keep up lying, and it hadn't even been twenty-four hours.

But she'd find out sooner or later.

 _I've already brought Silver into this – her best friend. Sonic's hopefully in, if Silver's told him. That's her old role model – the person she looked up to. If I bring Rouge into it…God, I don't know if Amy will ever forgive me._

The idea pained him, to say the least.

He was barely beginning to figure out what he felt for Amy Rose. The last thing Shadow wanted was to fall for her hard, only to see her walk away with nothing but hatred towards him. He wasn't sure how to handle that type of situation, and he didn't want to.

 _Still. She's a magnet for trouble, and we can't save the weak of our own while trying to fight the enemy. She's not necessarily…weak, but she's in the way. She's more of a burden then she is help in situations like these. I remember Mobius and its destruction – and Amy being in the way more than helping. I doubt she's changed in that perspective after ten years. After all, she hasn't fought since then, either._

Shadow sat still.

Tails was dazed, staring blankly at the floor. Silver and Blaze were still asleep. Flame was constantly shushing Petunia and her many questions since she had woken up. Jeffery was peaceful as ever. Then there were the sounds of sniffles next to Shadow, and he was reminded that Amy was beside him. That the weight against him wasn't his lungs giving up on him or his side aching.

Amy wiped her nose with her sleeve as she kept her head down, leaning against Shadow. Red eyes softened at the rose flower.

Hesitantly, he reached out to her.

He wanted to touch her – to comfort her. He just wasn't sure how to go about that. Shadow figured holding her was a good start.

Amy was surprised when she felt an arm wrap around her, bringing her closer to the body she was leaning against. Instead of pulling away from the ebony male, she only burrowed closer to his chest. The tears wordlessly continued to fall as she grasped his jacket.

Although it felt like an awkward position, Shadow remained half-embracing her. Tightening his grip ever so slightly, he rested his chin on her head. It made the position less uncomfortable.

He looked down the hallway, wondering how Sonic and his siblings were doing. He was itching to know how Aleena was doing. How sick she had become – Shadow could have sworn Aleena was perfectly fine last time he saw her. Sure, it was several months ago, but he _knew_ when a person was sick or not. He could just feel it – being the Ultimate Life Form and whatnot.

So, it irked him that he had been wrong. _It's clearly something that came out of the blue…I didn't detect it. Sonic didn't talk about anything wrong with her for the last few months, either. Since I visited, in fact. She had been perfectly healthy when I saw her. Sonic said she was getting better every time he visited her._

 _What's wrong with her?_

 _She's had difficulties in the past. All around adjusting to this planet, except her memory loss. Tails believed she couldn't survive on this planet – but he didn't tell Sonic that. Still, I wonder if the fox is right. Perhaps her heart was too weak. Her bones too brittle. Something._

Shadow closed his eyes, trying to forget where he was at the moment.

He had just been invited a birthday party. He had just gotten to talk to Amy – ask her on a date. Hell, he somewhat even confessed that he was beginning to feel something for the female. Shadow didn't want the responsibility to make sure Sonic didn't lose it. Not because the responsibility annoyed him, but because it intimidated Shadow.

While he would never admit it aloud, Shadow was fond of the blue nuisance. And he feared for the day when Aleena _would_ pass.

 _I just didn't think it would be today…_

By the time he felt sleep capture him, Shadow was being prodded awake. It had felt like a few seconds, when in reality it was just a few minutes. Either way, he was disturbed from his slumber.

Glaring at the intruder to his sleep, Shadow stopped. His face relaxed as he saw Sonic standing before him with a soft look – a look that said what would happen, would happen.

 _Perhaps he can handle this better than I thought…_ Shadow still had his doubts though.

"The doctor will give you guys a few minutes…He doesn't think she'll pull through," Sonic whispered with a pained tone.

"What's wrong, Daddy?"

Shadow could barely hear Petunia's tiny whisper towards Flame. She sounded so scared at the tone her uncle used. The child was beginning to realize something was right. That something was terribly wrong.

Flame sighed and set his daughter down, still holding Jeffery. "Look, sweetie. Grandma is…well, she's had issues. You remember your fish, Blub?"

"Yes," Petunia frowned. "You said he had to go somewhere forever."

"Yeah," Flame did his best at the parenting thing without Sonia there. He didn't like the topic of death around his children, especially Petunia. She was starting to grasp the idea a little too quickly, and it frightened both father and daughter. "That he was going to an endless ocean where he could swim forever and be happy. Remember?"

"Hmhm…"

"Well, Grandma's gotta go now. Okay?"

"Why?" Petunia pinned her ears back. Shadow glanced away to avoid seeing the tears trickling in the corner of her eyes. It was hard enough to see Amy cry. He couldn't handle the child he stubbornly loved. "We barely got to see her…"

"She's sick, Petunia," Sonic calmly told the little girl. Petunia turned to gaze up at her uncle. "Her heart can't handle it anymore."

He kneeled as his niece approached him. She trembled a little, but the tears were still threatening to spill. "She's going to be in an endless ocean so she can swim forever?" she whispered so quietly that Shadow barely heard her.

Sonic lightly smiled as he glanced at the ground. "No. But she's going somewhere better." He looked back up at her, "A place where she can be free from all the sicknesses."

"We'll visit her then, right?"

Sonic opened his mouth to say something, but he only exhaled heavily. Shadow cleared his throat and motioned for Petunia to come to him. Amy moved aside and watched with tear-stained cheeks.

"Petunia, listen to me. Your grandmother is going through what we will all eventually go through," Shadow softly spoke to her. Petunia came closer as he leaned forward, an arm slightly holding her. "Until then, we won't be able to visit her anymore."

"But-"

"She'll always be with you," Amy joined, and Shadow was glad she did. She was more nurturing than him.

Flame suddenly scooped his daughter up, still somehow managing to hold onto a sleeping Jeffery, and turned to Sonic. "C'mon. It'd be best if she just saw her and said goodbye."

Petunia looked over her shoulder at Shadow and Amy. She turned to her father with her ears still pinned against the back of head. "I don't like saying goodbye…"

"I know, sweetie." Flame kissed his daughter on her forehead once more and began walking down the hall.

Sunny, Silver, and Blaze stood simultaneously. "Sonic?"

The blue hero glanced over at Shadow and Amy as they stood. Tails was the last one to stand. Shadow swallowed and motioned for Sonic to lead.

"This way."

Once the group started moving a bit faster down the hallway, Shadow noticed Amy beginning to tremble and lose her pace with the rest.

A single tear slid down her cheek.

Shadow stopped along with her and grabbed her arm gently. "Amy?"

"I feel like I'm going to be sick."

"Amy –"

"Shadow, I can't do this. Aleena, she's –" Amy turned her head and winced as if she were in pain. She thought her tear ducts had all been dried out, but the waterworks still flowed to tell her otherwise. "I can't believe visiting her wasn't on the top of my list when I came here."

"Amy, don't start this. You'll feel guilty, but nothing is your fault," Shadow whispered as to not catch attention from their friends walking away. He stood close enough to her that she could feel his breath on her cheek. "Now, c'mon. You'll regret it if you don't go in."

He held out his arm and supported her. Her body trembled even more so, which worried him. With his lips grazing her ear, Shadow led the way to catch up with their friends.

Amy put her nose in Shadow's chest fur that stuck out of his clothing. She buried against the fur and his jacket still. Closing her eyes tightly, Amy let out a sniffle. "I don't like saying goodbyes, either."

Glancing down at her, his eyes turned soft and gentle. He tensed his grip on her as he felt her knees beginning to buckle.

"No one does."

* * *

Amy sat on the edge of Shadow's bed, frozen in place.

The house had fallen quiet an hour ago. It was around two in the morning, and her eyes were tired from crying. Her body begged for sleep, but her mind was too busy thinking about the hospital.

She couldn't make any coherent words.

Shadow had left her there on the bed as he went to take a shower. By the time he got out, he was surprised to see that she hadn't moved.

At all.

The ebony hedgehog walked out of his bathroom with a damp towel around his neck. He only wore long pajama pants that dragged on the floor as he trudged across the room. He threw the towel in the hamper against his door.

Turning to face Amy, he clasped his hands together and sighed. Contemplating on what to do, Shadow finally made a move after several minutes of utter silence. Turning off the light, he walked towards Amy in total darkness.

He felt her flinch under his touch at first.

 _She's cold as ice…And silent._

It bugged Shadow. She could be silent, but she couldn't be a zombie. He wouldn't allow for it – it didn't suit her.

Amy closed her eyes as she let out a breath through her mouth. She shivered under his delicate touch. Despite her body motionless, her mind selfishly thought of more intimate situations with Shadow. Finally, he grabbed the bottom of her shirt.

She flinched again as his knuckles ran against her thin tank top. He raised the fabric slowly, allowing time for her to get what he was doing. Automatically putting her arms up, she let him slip it up and off of her.

Shadow was relieved she had a tank top on, as he tossed her shirt to the floor.

Swallowing, Shadow approached her again. His hands danced along each of her arms as his lips grazed her forehead. Planting a soft kiss to her forehead, Shadow lifted her up in his arms. She was so light; he almost went and got food instead of putting her under the sheets.

But her greater desire for sleep was evident.

The dark male slid in behind her. He felt her body temperature rise as he reached around and unbuttoned her jeans. Amy blushed, but was too cold to care. She would have curled up if it hadn't been for Shadow skillfully taking off her jeans. They hit the floor, and Amy had her chance.

Twisting around, she quickly cuddled up into his warm body. Shadow swallowed again, heavier this time.

His hands reluctantly wrapped around her small frame – his ears listening to her fast heartbeat. But he was relieved to feel his instinctive side had passed for now – perhaps due to the talk about going on a date.

Shadow became aware at that moment on how tightly Amy was grasping his chest fur. If he had worn a shirt, she had been holding onto that for dear life as well. Despite her bare legs resting dangerously close to him, reminding him how easily it would be to place them in a position their primal sides would enjoy, Shadow didn't push her away.

Instead, he merely held her.

Combed through her quills. Kept her warm. Comforted her by embracing her.

He remained this way for an hour or two, unable to fall asleep.

Shadow wondered how Sonic was doing. Or Manic even. But mostly, he thought of Amy's wellbeing. Even in the hospital room, Sonic and Manic were able to hold their own. Shadow hadn't needed to comfort them at all.

It was Amy that he had to continue to support. She had been a blubbering mess, compared to everyone else.

 _Well, Sonia was probably worse. Still, I didn't think Amy would care this much…She's so selfless, even for strangers or people she hasn't seen in a long time. I almost had to carry her out of there._

 _But at least Aleena is at peace now…_

He stared at the clock on his nightstand.

 _Now, we just have to wait for everyone else to be at peace._

Grieving.

He wasn't sure if anyone in the house had gone through it like he had. But he knew with the people under his roof, and who they were, that it wouldn't be a simple task.

And it wasn't just them grieving.

The dogs had gone quiet, as if sensing something wasn't right. There was a gloomy aura around the house, as well. The moment they had walked in, Shadow had wanted to walk out. The house had never been so noiseless. He couldn't even hear the clocks ticking.

It was as if everything, living or not, could tell something tragic had happened. And the worst part for those still living was yet to come.

For the silence that hit the entire house, was a silence filled with grief.

* * *

 _I do not know anything about hospitals or how that stuff works...I just know about EKG's._

 _I would make this chapter longer, but I think with everything that I want to go down following Aleena's death; it would fit better in its own chapter. So it's going to be like how chapters 20, 21, and 22 were one long ass chapter split into three parts._ _ **More details about Aleena are planned for next chapter. It's just how I do things for some reason. *shrugs* Think of this chapter like a teaser, but I love to play with ya'll until you're infuriated with me. :D**_

 _I don't know if this 'Aleena' phase will be three parts or only two. I'm going to say three right now. There's going to be conflicts next chapter, a time skip of a few days to the birthday party and then funeral in the third one. So, the third will probably be the longest. All I know is that this part will be the most chill. The next part, or chapter, will be more tension and arguing most definitely. And the last part…well, we'll see. ;)_

 _I hope everyone's had an awesome week! Keep spreading those positive vibes!_

 _Arrivederci!_


	25. Mourn

**STH © SEGA/Archie**

 **Sarah, Peter, Samwell, Rosemary & the Wilson Family © Cozy Shadow **

**Flame, Petunia, Jeffery, and Sunny © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands or names (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _I've gotten the writing/uploading thing figured out - I have a new laptop, but not Word. I know this chapter is way overdue, and I apologize greatly. I'm not sure when I'll have chapters ready to upload, however. It took me this long just to finish this chapter. :/_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Five:**

 **Mourn**

" _Is she dead yet?"_

 _A blaring white light made it impossible for him to see his surroundings. A buzzing in his ears caused him to groan in pain. His vision was a bit blurry every time he tried to open his eyes. Feeling with his hands, he stopped when they grasped what felt like iron bars._

" _I want to know, Shadow. Is she dead yet?"_

 _The ebony hedgehog couldn't quite tell who the voice's owner was. It sounded familiar. It sounded...sarcastic and laidback. Opening his eyes again, Shadow saw the iron bars that caged him in._

" _It's just you and me, Shadow. I want to know - is she dead yet?" the voice continued to whisper to him, to taunt him._

" _What…" he whispered as he tried to walk. Instead, he stumbled. The voice laughed a booming laugh that stopped the ringing in his ears for a split second. Then everything went back to being impossible to bare. "What are you talking about?"_

" _Is she dead yet?" the voice turned serious. "I want to know. It's just us, Shadow. We're alone together - you can tell me."_

' _Aleena,' Shadow thought._

" _No. Not Aleena."_

 _He opened his eyes wider this time, looking at the white light for a moment until his eyes adjusted. Then it dimmed and he was in a cage of rusted iron. On the other side, however, was himself. Only, it wasn't himself. It was Devil Shadow - but at his height now. It was no longer a mini-version of the Ultimate Life Form, but it was still a nuisance._

 _The little ingrate whipped its spiked tail to curl around one of the iron bars. He leaned against the cage as his torn and tattered, black wings folded against his back - barely visible with the large quills in the way._

" _Is she dead yet, Shadow? Did I succeed?"_

" _What the hell...are you talking about?" he mumbled between tripping over his own feet and grasping onto the bars. Shadow groaned as he stood upright - the ringing subsided. His vision was still blurred to hell, though._

" _Not Aleena," Devil Shadow sneered. "I want to know about Amy. Is she dead yet?"_

" _No," Shadow was quick to respond. He glared at the doppelganger at the sudden silence between them. "Why would you say that?"_

 _Devil Shadow stared at him with an emotionless look. It was as if Shadow was looking into the mirror when having one of his bad days. When he was in a foul mood and stared at someone - stared as if he were looking into their soul._

 _Only this time, Shadow was the scared victim, experiencing what it felt like. And it made him tremble to the core._

" _You should've listened to the logic, Shadow. You should've listened to Mr. High and Mighty -" the Devil Shadow cut himself off to give a smirk. A flash of humor sparked in his eyes. "And I'm not talking about God," he quoted himself from earlier._

' _This...this is just a dream,' Shadow thought as he supported himself with the bars of the cage. His vision was still blurry, and his balance was still off._

" _Is it, Shadow? Or is it your conscience telling you something?" Devil Shadow whispered as he tilted his head. The look of a lunatic came across his face. He wasn't like the mini-version of Devil Shadow. This version was...more dangerous._

" _Now, I want to know. Is she dead yet?" he whispered again._

" _What are you talking about?" Shadow growled this time._

" _IS SHE DEAD YET?!" Devil Shadow hollered, his eyes blazing with craziness. His appearance suddenly started to change as his maniacal laugh filled the cage._

 _His wings grew smaller - more bat-like. His eyes turned blue, and his red stripes vanished from his quills. Said quills morphed into spiky hair as his ears became larger. Bat-like. The face became another familiar face, but not a welcome one._

" _Samwell," Shadow snarled under his breath. He tried to take a step closer, but his feet had become heavy._

" _You better watch yourself, Shadow." Samwell started to sing the words he spoke. "Anybody might just take Amy Rose for themselves. Anybody like me."_

" _Don't you dare touch her." Shadow, again, tried to move. He barely lifted his foot before it planted itself back on the cement floor. The bar of the cage started to bend under his mere grasp - for no apparent reason that he knew of. The rest of his surroundings started to swirl around him._

" _Oh?" Samwell began to circle the cage as he hummed a little tune. "And what will you do? If Amy Rose is not under your protection?"_

" _I swear to God, I'll -"_

" _You better not promise anything, Shadow." Samwell spoke like a child as he stopped and looked through the bars. If he hadn't been on the other side of the cage, Shadow would've ripped his throat out by now. "You better not promise anything for something that's not yours."_

" _Amy…" Shadow faltered in his sentence._

 _Sam was right in that sense. Amy wasn't Shadow's - but that didn't mean he couldn't promise to protect her. That didn't mean he couldn't promise to kill Sam if the bat dared to lay a finger on her._

" _You better not promise anything for something that's not yours," Samwell repeated. He looked straight into Shadow's eyes. "A wise man wouldn't promise something he doesn't have."_

 _Shadow listened. He didn't speak, simply because perhaps Samwell would give away something useful for Shadow to use as an advantage. So, he listened intently._

" _Do you understand what I'm saying to you? Or should I elaborate?" Samwell continued his circle around the cage. He continued talking whether Shadow replied or not. "What I mean is that you don't have Amy - therefore you shouldn't promise something for her. If you do not have her, then you shouldn't promise protection for her. A wise man wouldn't promise anything he doesn't already have - or else he'll end up losing it along the way or losing the desire to fulfill said promise."_

" _I do have Amy, though," Shadow spoke in confusion. "She's with me. Not you."_

" _Is she?" Samwell raised an eyebrow. "I would be careful, if I were you. I would keep an eye on her at all times, if I had such a beautiful lady in my possession."_

" _I do not own Amy Rose," Shadow corrected him. "But she is with me, in my presence. Not yours."_

 _Samwell pretended to think about it with pursed lips before shrugging. "Even so. Would you dare to not watch her every move? You know what she's going to do, Shadow. She's going to put herself in harm's way - in my way. And Aleena was just the beginning for your pathetic friends."_

" _You had nothing to do with Aleena's death."_

" _Correct. I had nothing to do with her death, but I won't say anything for Amy's fate should she...fall into the wrong hands," Samwell sickly grinned. "Given the circumstances that a child's life is at stake, I'd say it won't be long until Amy starts to cross a fine line that might cause some trouble. I'm not going to waste my time with things that won't obey."_

 _Shadow growled as his quills quivered. "What the hell are you talking about?"_

 _The dark bat only continued to smile creepily. He started to back away into the darkness._

 _Shadow's feet became 'unstuck' from whatever held them in place throughout their entire conversation. He rushed to the other side of the cage where Samwell was. Grasping the bars, Shadow growled lowly in a warning to the bat._

 _The lights that had dimmed in the cage shut off completely. His only response was a whisper, barely audible, but enough to cause his spine to shiver at its new meaning._

" _Is she dead yet?"_

Flinching awake, Shadow stared at the wall of his room.

Everything was as it should be - he was in his bed. Amy was curled up beside him, still not wearing anything but a tanktop and her undergarments.

Shadow sighed and let his arms wrap around her waist, pulling her towards his body until their chests touched. She was fully against him when she started to squirm in her sleep. Shadow didn't glance down at her. He merely stared at the wall, even after her movements ceased.

 _I've never imagined Samwell Turner to be a madman...But perhaps my dream - No. We are not going to live based on what we dream. It doesn't mean Samwell Turner is a crazed lunatic. But I do know he's attracted to Amy - that was evident enough when they first met._

The memory made his quills quiver and his hold on the female tighten.

Amy softly whined in her sleep, her hand coming up to rest against his chest. Her fingers laced themselves through his chest fur. When she became still again, Shadow sighed. He put his head in the crook of her shoulder and neck - hiding among her quills as he burrowed himself in the blankets with her.

His legs came up to wrap around hers. They only tangled more as she continued to move about in her sleep. She was always a mover.

 _She whacked me once, in the middle of the night._

Shadow reached to grab her thigh and wrap her leg around his waist. He wasn't sure what to do about the other leg, since she was sleeping on her side. But at least it made it easier for him to curl up around her. Tilting his head ever so slightly, Shadow's quills softly shook as his body instinctively protected Amy's.

Shadow couldn't explain his actions.

 _Perhaps I am a cuddler. Or perhaps my instinctive side is coming out now that it's beginning to notice that she's not wearing much of anything._ Shadow growled to himself, but Amy twitched in her sleep. _Or the instincts are coming out because of that damn dream._

The last thing he needed was for Samwell Turner to swoop in one night and take Amy out from under him. It sounded improbable. But with all the events happening, Shadow wasn't going to take any chances.

His logical side was saying to protect Amy from the maniac that possibly wanted to eliminate him and his friends. His animalistic side was saying that the pink hedgehog was his and his alone.

Frankly, Shadow liked the cuddler excuse.

* * *

That morning could have gone better, but Amy wasn't going to start complaining given the circumstances.

She merely went about making breakfast in the quiet house. Well, it _was_ quiet until a certain feline strolled in with a look that said she and Amy were about to have a long talk - a talk that had been postponed for long enough.

Blaze leaned against the table in the middle of the kitchen. "Anything I can help with?"

"No." Amy swallowed after she whispered her response. She glanced back while at the stove. "Where's everyone?"

"Sonic and Sarah are taking their turn in the shower," Blaze folded her arms across her chest. "Silver is typing some emails to his boss. Manic and Sunny are still asleep. And I assume Shadow is feeding animals."

"Yes," Amy murmured.

She focused on the food cooking - the Eggs Benedict that didn't seem to be of much help now. She bit her bottom lip.

From the moment she had woken up, it felt all surreal - what had happened. It took her several minutes before realizing that a) she was practically wearing nothing in bed and b) Aleena was really gone.

Blaze, on the other hand, was thinking about different matters. She was saddened by the news of Aleena's passing, and being in the room while it happened, but there were other important matters.

 _Such as the lie you just told her. Silver's really trying to find more information on where Rosy went._ Blaze chewed the inside of her lip. She didn't like to lie to Amy - but Silver had said not to tell Amy.

 _But why not tell Amy? Why not inform her that we're fighting against this Samwell Turner person? That Shadow needs to find Rosy apparently? Sure, I know_ why. _Shadow doesn't want Amy to get into trouble and Silver agreed with him that it would be best not to involve Amy. But to involve the rest of us and not her...to have us all go behind her back on a cause she desperately wants to be a part of...She's not going to be happy when she finds out. And she will find out eventually, no doubt. We can't keep it a secret forever._

But the whole news with Samwell Turner and Scourge the Hedgehog - not to mention Rosy and him having a kid - was a little over Blaze's head. She had come here early to lecture Amy and talk Silver into dragging her back to New York before the month was even up.

Instead, she was getting wrapped up in something she wasn't sure she wanted to be a part of.

 _Silver is clearly on board. He likes the feeling of secretive work and fighting against bad guys - living in the past. Perhaps he's the one I really need to lecture._

Amber eyes went over Amy's solemn features. She hadn't spoken to Blaze in a while, and the room had grown rather silent and awkward. The awkward feeling made Blaze realize how much had changed in such a short time.

 _It's like we're strangers. Amy's living with them now - with Shadow, Sonic, and Sarah. She's been introduced to this different way of living so quickly and almost naturally that we haven't talked. It's almost like she's forgotten about us._ Blaze hid her frown.

"When was Rouge showing up?"

"I don't exactly remember. I'll have to talk to her," Amy furrowed her eyebrows. "I'd completely forgotten about her."

"It seems you're forgetting about a lot of us."

With a raised eyebrow, Amy glanced over at the feline. "Excuse me?"

"Well, I feel like we haven't talked in a long time," Blaze cleared her throat as she stood straight. "And I was hoping to talk to you sometime."

"We're talking now."

"Yes," Blaze let a thin smile play on her lips. "Just with better circumstances, you know?"

Amy faltered.

She was about to give a sarcastic retort, but she hadn't expected Blaze to say that - and say it so sincere. Blaze hadn't really known Aleena, ever. Hadn't really tried to get to know her, either. While the death still affected everyone in the household, Amy didn't think Blaze of all people would let it show.

The reality kept hitting Amy, and it wouldn't give her a break. "Yeah...Things just won't stop, will they?" Amy questioned, as if seeking some philosophical answer. She narrowed her eyebrows again. "It's surreal. I can't grasp it yet."

"I doubt there will be much talk today," Blaze wandered near the windows by the laundry room. She looked outside at the muddy ground. The grass was still more yellow than green. "I wonder when the funeral will be."

Amy didn't want to think about that. She didn't have a black dress to wear, and she didn't want one. Not for this.

Tiredly, she closed her eyes to prevent the tears. She sighed. "Do you want to get the table ready?"

"Of course."

As the cat went around Amy to get to the cupboards, she eyed the pink hedgehog out of her peripheral. There was something else she wanted to talk about with Amy - something that would surely send Amy into a fit.

A lecture she didn't want to hear.

"Amy?" Blaze nonchalantly inquired as she grabbed the glasses.

"Yes?" It already sounded as if Amy didn't want to talk. But Blaze didn't know when she'd have alone time like this with Amy again. Especially since Shadow just seemed to appear whenever he pleased - Blaze had to corner Amy while he was gone.

And this was one of those moments.

"I know it's not a particularly good time to talk about this, but I can't help but pry…"

Amy's shoulders tensed as she stared at the cooking food, begging that Blaze wasn't going to embarrass her. Wasn't going to lecture her as if she were just a teenager.

"...but what's your relationship with Shadow?"

"Blaze, I told you when you got here. We're just friends."

"Friends sharing a bed."

"Oh!" Amy muttered under her breath at the intolerable feline behind her. "Blaze, it's not like that! We just...Well, we're…"

Like remembering Aleena's death was real, Amy recalled the events leading up to the moment when Sarah interrupted them in the workshop. She had shared a moment with Shadow - a moment where they agreed to go on a date and see where their odd relationship brought them.

 _I'd almost forgotten…_ Amy chewed her lip, trying to think of a response.

"Um...well, we're…"

Blaze raised an eyebrow. Now she was curious. "A moment ago you said you were just friends. Now you're acting as if you're _not._ Amy Rose, what is going on?"

"Oh, don't pretend to be my mother," Amy twisted around with a hiss. She glared at Blaze. "I don't care if you think me coming here was a bad idea. I don't care if you think this will only end badly. If it bugs you so much then take Silver back to New York and have a happy life."

"Amy!" the cat gasped as if she couldn't believe her friend would be so rude. Her ears folded back against her head as she prepared herself to have an argument in order to prove that she was right - that Amy's decisions right now weren't well thought out. "You and Shadow can't possibly be -"

"Whatever you're about to say, people would say the same thing about you and Silver. And you know it."

Blaze shut her mouth. Perhaps she hadn't been 100% right. "Amy, I don't want to see you hurt. He's uncontrollable right now -"

"He's _fine._ Blaze, he's perfectly himself. Why is the only thing you see when you look at him an animal about to rape me?" Amy hissed under her breath, mindful of Silver who was probably in the next room.

"I…"

"Shadow is a logical and civilized being. He would never do anything to hurt me, and we're getting along just fine. To the point where, yes, maybe we're going on a date."

Blaze's eyes went wide. Amy snorted as if that was the end of their conversation. The pink hedgehog went back to making breakfast.

It was silent for a while - the point where Amy really did think their conversation was over.

"You can't be serious."

Amy stopped and closed her eyes again. But it wasn't to hold in the tears. It was to keep hold of the spatula in her hand - making sure she didn't turn around and whip it at Blaze's skull.

Her temper was getting the best of her, sure, but Blaze's tone and following scoff was enough to make Amy snap.

She was tired of Blaze, Rouge, and Silver all thinking it was a terrible idea to move out here and be a burden to Sonic and Shadow. She wasn't _much_ of a burden.

Still, Amy decided to keep her mouth shut as much as possible. Instead of flinging the spatula like it was her hammer, the pink hedgehog cleared her throat and straightened up - going back to cooking as if she were a professional.

"You'd be surprised," she merely said.

Blaze knew she should've held her tongue the moment she had spoken. Sighing, the cat grabbed the back of a chair and leaned against it. "Amy, I didn't mean to offend you...You're right. Silver and I are not alike. Neither are you and Shadow. That doesn't mean you can't have a relationship with him."

Green eyes glanced at her curiously, waiting for the punch.

"But I just want to you to be happy and safe. You're my friend, Amy. You'll always be my friend, first and foremost. Silver and I care about your wellbeing - and to think you were barely getting by without telling us is heart wrenching. I've felt so guilty that I didn't do anything."

"I didn't tell you guys for that reason," Amy whispered. "I'd feel obligated to make it up to you."

"Yet you don't with Sonic and Shadow? Or even Sarah?"

"Well...No." Amy's eyebrows narrowed as she turned and grabbed one of the plates from the table. Turning back to the stove, she slowly put some of the prepared food on the plate.

Blaze watched her, expecting her to explain herself. When Amy had plated two more plates, the feline crossed her arms and looked at the tile floor - knowing the answer already but wanting to hear it for herself.

"May I ask why?"

A little sound came out of Amy - a whine of protest. She didn't want to answer Blaze, but she knew it was inevitable.

Twisting around to face the Mobian she once called a good friend, Amy only saw a long distance friend that was almost a stranger. In such a short amount of time, her growing bond with the others had surpassed the bond she'd made with Blaze and Silver. That tether was worn and breaking.

"...I wouldn't have felt at home with you and Silver. I would have felt like I was intruding."

"And with Sonic and Sarah, you don't feel that way?"

"No, not anymore."

"Because of Shadow."

The young flower felt her heart tug towards the ebony male even more at that time. Something between them was clicking finally. Something she was excited about and yet terrified for at the same time.

Blaze could see it, too.

"Because of Shadow," she agreed.

Amy Rose was undoubtedly falling for Shadow the Hedgehog.

* * *

The water had always relaxed Sarah, but this time it didn't feel as welcoming. Perhaps it was because Sonic stood in the way so no water actually hit her.

The lime green hedgehog frowned at her fiance, giving him a pitiful glance. Sonic appeared to be in a trance - away from the world and the cruel reality. Sarah bit her lip.

 _I wish I could say something...But I don't know what it's like to lose someone like this. I'm the last person that could comfort him._

Still, she tried. "Sonic?" she whispered.

Sonic barely heard his mate with the water running. "Hm?"

"Are you...alright?"

Sarah was careful in her choice of words, but she knew in the end that no word could describe how he was feeling. She couldn't ask if he was doing okay because he wasn't. The question was merely filler - something to fill the space between them to make things less uncomfortable.

But Sonic didn't respond.

He continued to be in his own world.

Sarah went back to standing awkwardly in the shower - a little cold until he finally moved and let the warm water hit her. Sarah sensed his distress, and wasn't going to press him any further into talking. She had figured the house would be oddly quiet today.

 _And he and I both took the rest of the week off now…_ Sarah glanced up at Sonic, unsure of what was going on in his head. _I've never been able to read him. Not fully. Certainly not as easily as he reads me._

She decided the best she could do was go about her day and let Sonic grieve. She'd be little to no help, and she'd probably only accidentally say something inappropriate. Holding her tongue even then, Sarah simply turned around and grabbed the shampoo.

Had she known what Sonic was thinking, Sarah would have been both confused and cautious.

The blue hedgehog that stood like a statue in the shower wasn't particularly thinking about his mother's passing. No. Instead, Sonic felt something in the room - a sort of presence that irked him because he didn't know where it was coming from.

Green eyes stared at the wall. _It's strange...I woke up, and I didn't feel like myself. I get in the shower, and I really don't feel like myself. I can sense something...Something different. I'm not sure if it's good or bad._

It reminded him of the night Manic showed up with the other three guests. Shadow had tried to intervene when it came to Amy's sleeping arrangements, and Sonic's animosity went from being directed to Manic to Shadow.

 _It was strange. Like Shadow being near Sarah was something of a threat. It doesn't make sense. Now, every time, I feel something's not the same with her. It's her that has the feeling. I just know it. I'm not going crazy._

Sonic was still in doubt though.

He couldn't prove to himself that he did feel something in the room - with Sarah - but he kept thinking about it. That something was beginning to drive him up the wall. It kept him up at certain times of the night, as if taunting him to try and figure out what it was.

He narrowed his eyebrows and _really_ looked at his future wife.

 _She seems...fine. But she's a good faker._ The thought of Sarah becoming sick to the point where she woke up in the middle of the night to hurl her guts out made Sonic frightened. He hadn't confronted her about it, but he wanted to.

"Are you okay?"

His sudden voice brought Sarah back from her own train of thought. She raised an eyebrow and stared at Sonic with a peculiar look. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"Sarah, I'm serious." Sonic stood straight and blocked the water again. Despite her looking a little silly with shampoo in her quills, Sonic kept a solemn expression. "My mother was sick for a long time. So I want to know if you're sick."

"Sonic, I'm fine."

"So, what, hurling your guts out in the middle of the night is a normal routine now?" Sonic almost hissed the words. He felt hurt. She wasn't telling the truth. "Don't think I haven't noticed because I have, Sarah. I get this feeling that something isn't right."

She faltered for a second - and in that second her eyes told him everything.

That she _was_ lying.

In that moment, his eyes narrowed and his expression turned cold. "My mother was sick for a hell of a long time, Sarah. Please, don't lie to me," he closed his eyes as if to hold in any emotions. "Please."

Her silence made him wary. Sonic knew something wasn't right with her. Sarah knew Sonic wasn't going to give in now.

She swallowed, failing to make a sentence. Instead, she merely heard her mother's voice ringing in her head.

" _Are you crazy?! How do you not know?! You can't raise a baby - You're too young, Sarah! He'll leave you in a heartbeat - you're merely a toy. Get rid of the damn thing before it's too late!"_

Sarah blinked back into reality, giving him a reassuring smile. "Sonic, I'm fine. Trust me, it's nothing serious."

Sonic had opened his eyes to watch her - watch for any movement that would give away what she was thinking. But she didn't let anything slip. He squinted a bit, showing he was unconvinced. She watched as his jaw clenched, a sign that said he was stubbornly backing away from the conversation for now.

She bit her lip and went to touch his arm. "Sonic - "

Her fingertips grazed his arm before he pulled away. The blue blur glanced at the curtain of the shower with a low gaze. "Breakfast is probably ready by now…"

Sarah retracted her hand as Sonic left the shower. She listened as he changed into his clothes rather quickly and then left the bathroom. It was as if he hadn't even been there.

Washing the shampoo from her quills, Sarah stared at the curtain with wide eyes.

 _It's only a matter of time now before I have to figure out whether or not I'm with child. The longer I drag this out, the more he questions me._

 _I can't keep chickening out of this. I've got to take a test - and soon._

* * *

Shadow was quite pleased to see Eggs Benedict waiting for him - on the plate he preferred. And the orange juice in the glass he favored.

Staring at the scene, Shadow raised an eyebrow slightly as everyone came into the kitchen for breakfast. It was quiet for the most part.

Shadow gave a little huff of amusement at what they were eating though.

 _Only Sarah has an attention for detail when it comes to favorites of mine…_ He glanced at Amy as he sat down. She avoided eye contact either from realizing she slept next to him with barely any clothing on or that she had made his favorite breakfast.

 _And Amy cooked breakfast._

He gave a little smirk at the idea of Amy trying to get pointers from Sarah about the Ultimate Life Form. Despite the silence in the air, the notion was still amusing to him.

While breakfast started off solemn, everyone knew it wouldn't last forever. At one point, somebody was going to get sick of the quietness and speak up. It was just a matter of who.

After several minutes of silverware hitting plates and mouths chewing food, Sunny cleared her throat softly.

"How did everyone sleep?"

"Not bad," Blaze was the first to reply. She shrugged. "Woke up a couple times in the night."

Mostly everyone agreed. Sonic glanced at Sarah, but he made no comment. Silver scoffed at everyone's hummed agreement to his girlfriend, however. "Well, that dog is like a furnace - I got little to no sleep last night."

Amy cracked a smile. "He does tend to sleep at your feet, doesn't he?"

"I haven't figured out why yet."

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Just put a pillow at your feet and he'll stop."

"Tried that. He proceeded to try and sleep on top of me at that point."

Sarah squinted at Silver while chewing her food. "Maybe it's the quills."

"Yes, that's definitely it," Silver sarcastically whispered.

What little conversation they had started to die down. The pink hedgehog, of course, didn't want to be engulfed in silence again. She put her fork down on her plate and took a glimpse at everyone.

"What's the plan for today?"

Plan.

They always seemed to have some sort of plan every day. A routine of sorts - an agenda. But the word seemed almost dreaded this time about. _Plan._

Sonic grimaced. "I'll talk to Sonia about funeral arrangements. She spoke about Sunday, which would leave us at Joe's birthday party on Saturday still. We figured it would work."

Blaze's eyes softened as she looked at the retired hero. "Are you still going? You know, you don't have to."

"The Wilson's are as much a part of my family as my mother was," Sonic replied quickly and without hesitation. "I'm not going to miss either."

They were silent once more.

The blue male glanced at his little brother. "You don't have to go if you don't want to, Manic."

At that point in time, everyone seemed to notice the youngest member of the Hedgehog family. He almost didn't seem like Manic.

He didn't try to style his quills that morning. Of course, who would after their mother's death? He merely woke up with bags under his eyes and a cold look in his expression. It dawned upon everyone at that moment that Manic hadn't spoken yet.

Not once.

Sonic knew it was going to be toughest on him - he'd been away for so long but still wanted to be there despite the fear. But Sonic couldn't help but feel some sort of anger coming from his brother. An anger that radiated throughout the room at that moment.

"You said she had more time…"

Manic's hiss wasn't directed at his brother or his girlfriend. Dark eyes glowered at the ebony hedgehog sitting at the end of the table. Shadow felt his stomach knot as he remembered his words.

 _That day we spoke in the workshop...Sunny and Manic were helping me clean the place out. I had told him Aleena wasn't going to die._ The memory hit Shadow like a giant wave crashing down. He felt guilt pile up at the bottom of his stomach.

 _I really said that. Shit. Why did I even open up my mouth about that? I wouldn't typically talk like that - mostly because I accept that things just happen. But...He was in distress._ Shadow chewed the inside of his lip as he recalled the day. _And I was merely doing the thing Sonic had practically taught me to do in four years - console those in distress. At least, that's a basic way we should respond to friends or family that are unhappy. We make them happy. God forbid I actually tried it._

Shadow swallowed as the household waited in agony to hear if it was true. He could see Amy's pained expression from his peripheral. They wanted him to say he hadn't said that to Manic of all people - that he had really said something else.

But there was no lying or making things worse. Not in this situation. Shadow felt it would be almost disrespectful to do so - to Aleena.

So, he sighed. "At the time - "

"At the time!" Manic's snap was right on schedule. Everyone but Shadow was surprised when he stood up so abruptly that the chair nearly toppled onto the floor. It wobbled and caught its balance as he huffed. "At the time, my mother was still alive! At the time my mother was still breathing! At the time," he breathlessly said as he shook his head, tears forming in the corner of his eyes.

He curled his hands into fists and pounded them on the table once, on both sides of his plate. Sunny gave him a sympathetic look as she touched his arm gently. "Manic…"

"At the time," he whispered again as his voice cracked. "She was still _dying._ " Manic gritted his teeth, trying to come to terms with the news still. "She could never live on this planet, could she?"

His frail, croaking voice made Sonic worry. The blue blur hadn't seen Manic in forever, much less try and be an older sibling to him. Now without their remaining parent, it was Sonic who would have to console his brother. Sonic's frown deepened as he watched Manic crumble to pieces - an ache rising up in the old hero as well.

He was surprised to hear Manic after several minutes. Manic's voice wasn't shaking too terribly anymore. The green male seemed to tremble with anger again more than anything.

"What did you find out after I left?" Manic turned to his older brother for an explanation.

Sonic was hesitant to speak. "...Tails ran some tests - "

"You let him just run some tests on _our_ mother - " Manic started snarling again, and he would have continued had Sonic not stood up with a determined glare.

"He's my best friend, goddamnit, I trust him more than I trust you," Sonic suddenly growled in retort. "He ran some tests on her - further proving the theory that she couldn't live on this planet. She's not the first case, either."

"The portal?" Manic asked with disgust. "Did Tails screw up another measurement on that?"

Sonic hissed. " _Watch it._ He's gone through more than you will ever know in your lifetime. The Mobians that were affected with this planet's atmosphere weren't affected by the portal. The portal had nothing to do with their deaths. It had nothing to do with our mother's death."

There was a silence in the air. It hung over the group for quite some time.

Finally, Manic left. Sonic closed his eyes and let his head droop.

"He'll be okay," Sarah reassured her fiance, rubbing his arm and guiding him to sit back down.

Sonic thought about brushing her away again, but instead followed her silent orders and sat. Besides, it would have been a waste not to finish his food.

"I'll talk to Sonia about funeral arrangements," Sonic repeated after a few moments of silence again. "Then I'll talk to Manic," he softly said.

Shadow gave a slight nod and went about eating - as did everyone else.

Sonic glanced at Sarah.

 _Then I'm dealing with you._

* * *

By that afternoon, things had dwindled down - for Shadow at least.

He had gone to fix some of the calf pens in the barn, deciding that the rest of the household could do whatever the hell they wanted. So long as he didn't have to endure one more argument - that was Shadow's thinking.

Still, he prepared himself for the worst when he heard the barn door open and shut. The bolshie male glanced over his shoulder to see Sonic sauntering up to him. His walk was hesitant, and his facial features remained guarded.

The cobalt hedgehog casually leaned his arm against one of the calf pens. The two were quiet until Sonic exhaled heavily. "Well, Manic is better…"

"Oh?" Shadow stopped his work and raised an eyebrow at Sonic. "Meaning?"

"He'll at least come out of the basement now."

Shadow nodded his head simply because he couldn't think of any other way to respond. Sonic gazed at the tools around Shadow before staring up at the red eyes he knew all too well. "Why did you say that to him? That Aleena had more time."

"At the time it was true," Shadow replied. "Last time I visited her, I could sense she was doing fine. Granted the last time I even walked into that room was a long time ago - at least before last night. I just...tried to help," he trailed off, unsure of himself.

Sonic scratched the back of his neck and glanced elsewhere. He cleared his throat. "Well, Manic's the least of my problems."

"The funeral? Hospital bill?" Shadow didn't mean to sound like it was all joke, but Sonic didn't seem to mind as he gave a slight scoff.

"Sarah."

"What about her?" Shadow asked slowly out of mere confusion.

"Something's up. She gets up in the middle of the night - it's been like this the past few days. Not too long."

"She go for a midnight stroll or something?" Shadow sighed, now uninterested in Sonic's lady problems. He went back to mending the calf pens as one of the calves continually tried to lick his hands.

"No…" Sonic furrowed his eyebrows. "Does Sarah peg you as the bulimic type?"

The question caught Shadow off guard. He fumbled a bit and the pliers hit the ground. He grabbed them before the calves in the pen could see what it was. Shadow stood straight and gave Sonic a concerned look.

"What?"

"Do you think she'd ever...do that?" Sonic swallowed.

"Are these midnight strolls to the bathroom?"

"To puke her guts out. She's been eating with us at all the meals, and she's typically eating what she normally eats," he narrowed his eyebrows. "But Sarah's always been insecure about her body. Maybe it's the wedding - fitting into a wedding dress or something. Or maybe because Amy, Blaze, and Sunny are all...skinnier, ya know. It's recent, though. Some nights it wasn't so bad - but I know she's trying to cover it up. Which typically means it's something bad. Right?"

"How should I know? I don't read women. We learned that a long time ago," Shadow shrugged, but still thought about the situation on Sarah.

Sonic snorted. "Well...I asked her about it this morning. She's avoiding it."

"So, you're going to put your foot down, yes?"

"I hate to do it, but I really don't want to know last minute if she's sick. I've had enough of sitting around and waiting for the inevitable." Sonic's empty gaze caught Shadow's eye. The Ultimate Life Form found the corners of his mouth drooping a little at the sight.

Shadow cleared his throat after an awkward pause. "What are the others doing?"

"Silver's checking up on where Rosy might possibly have ended up."

"Good. He told you," Shadow set the pliers down and turned around, leaning against the calf pen and facing the same direction as Sonic now. "Has he gotten anything that might prove Rosy went with Scourge?"

"Or met Scourge."

"The chances of her ending up here and re-meeting Scourge is slimmer than her simply coming here _with_ Scourge. Don't you think?" Shadow posed the question.

Sonic tilted his head. "Fair point. He hasn't said anything to me yet."

"And the others?"

"Blaze and Sunny are dying of boredom while watching TV. Manic is mourning in the bathroom now - we're fairly certain he won't be getting out of the tub anytime soon."

"I thought you said he was better."

"Eh. I said he'd finally come out of the basement," Sonic responded. Shadow shrugged in agreement and Sonic continued, "And Amy and Sarah are doing God knows what."

"Where?"

"God knows where and what."

"That's never a good sign."

Sonic scoffed in agreement as he folded his arms. Another wave of silence hit them, and Shadow could feel something else was eating away at Sonic. Something much more noticeable than anything else.

He glanced at the blue blur. Red eyes softened as he tilted his head. "Despite Manic's obvious denial on Aleena's...death," he paused to see if Sonic reacted yet, "...I couldn't help but notice you haven't really mourned."

Sonic sighed and looked away, trying to avoid this conversation with Shadow. And yet, he was more than willing to stay for that very reason - that it was The Ultimate Lifeform of all people. A person he considered to be his enemy at one point was now considered one of his best friends. Sonic gave Shadow as much trust and respect that the black hedgehog truly deserved.

But at that moment, Sonic was caught between staying and storming out.

In fear that he might break down crying in front of Shadow, every manly instinct in Sonic told him to leave. In fear of not being able to mourn in front a single soul made Sonic plant his feet where he was.

"You saw me last night…" his voice already cracked. God, how he could handle anything else?

Shadow remained stoic. "Last night. Crazy to believe it all happened not twenty-four hours ago. You were in the stage Manic's barely in right now. Denial. That was last night. Today is the aftermath, Sonic." He stared at his housemate. A person he trusted wholeheartedly. "You've been too eerily calm for Sonic the Hedgehog."

Sonic scoffed. "For some reason Sonic the Hedgehog has to show weakness in front of others? Since when was Shadow the Hedgehog more masculine?"

The ebony Mobian shrugged and crossed his arms, copying Sonic's movements. "Fair point. You don't have to show me any emotion. But you should know, Sonic, that some people will judge you. Day in and day out."

"My mother died, they'll be sympathetic."

"Maybe. But they don't know you personally."

"Jesus Christ, Shadow." Sonic gave a sort of sound that seemed like a laugh and groan. He turned on his heel to walk out of the barn, but instead stood out in the open to stare at Shadow straight on. "You're actually trying to give me advice on this? Advice on mourning over my mother's death when you never had a mother?"

A sting hit Shadow, and Sonic saw. The azure male licked his lips nervously. "I didn't mean that."

"I know."

"It's just you don't know how this feels."

"But I'm the only person in that house that knows how you feel. Don't forget, I've grieved as well."

Sonic faltered.

He had almost forgotten, truth be told.

The image of Maria flashed through his mind as pain coursed through Shadow's eyes. He swallowed. "Then what do you want to say? I guarantee you, it'll be the same as what everyone else will say."

Shit. Were those tears developing? Sonic cursed to himself - he didn't want to seem weak. Especially not in front Shadow. But a part of him almost whispered to him that he needed to crumble.

"What will they say?"

"Everyone gives their condolences, but only a few understand," Sonic tried to swallow again, but the lump forming in his throat grew bigger. "The Wilson's are going to be the _worst_."

"You don't have to go to Joe's birthday party, Sonic."

"It would be rude not to."

"They'd understand."

"Exactly. They'd _understand._ All of them would pretend to understand what Manic, Sonia, and I are going through. The only ones to really get it though will be Joe and Frank. They've lost their mother - and they'll be the silent ones. Everyone else will speak."

"It's a natural tendency, Sonic. It's called comforting others," Shadow retorted at the ridiculous male. "You taught it to me."

Sonic's ears pinned back against his head. The tears stilled formed, and the lump in his throat still became a bigger nuisance with every passing minute. He started to walk backwards, regretting the decision of staying to listen to Shadow.

"On second thought, perhaps Sarah would be better to - "

"You and I both know Sarah certainly doesn't understand this. Unlike you, she doesn't care about her parents. She could care less if her mother died tomorrow. You loved your mother, and Sarah respected your decision of visiting Aleena whenever you could. But Sarah doesn't understand what you're feeling and she doesn't know how to help you," Shadow responded confidently. "If you go to Sarah, I doubt you'll be coping with this loss. You'll most likely be arguing about her possible condition."

For a moment, Sonic had forgotten all about the fact that he and Sarah were in a bit of an awkward tension. Shadow stepped closer to the Mobian he learned to call his friend.

"Sonic, you don't have to show any emotion to me. But I know when you're okay versus when you're not," Shadow simply said.

They stood there for the longest time afterwards.

Shadow waited for any peep out of Sonic. The latter tried to think of anything coherent to say. He opened his mouth a little, several times, but words weren't falling into place.

Finally, a tear slid down his cheek.

"Sonia was always close to Mom. I knew she'd be a mess, as any lone daughter probably would. Manic hadn't seem Mom in forever, but I knew he never hated her. This is hard enough as it is for him. But I...I don't know. I was the one to sit by her bedside for hours some days - knowing that the clock was ticking down. It was never going to reverse," his voice started as a whisper. "I'm the oldest. Last night, there came a sense of...being not only the oldest sibling but now the oldest in our family. It was a sudden responsibility of keeping everything in balance when the world went dark on us."

Shadow leaned further against the calf pen. Sonic shuffled his feet and put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Mulling his thoughts over, Sonic continued.

"Every day, visiting her. I figured eventually something like this would happen - out of the blue. Sonia had the kids to worry about. Manic never kept in touch. I was the only one given any fair amount of time to mourn, Shadow. Even before she was dead," he felt sick saying the words. He scowled, but it was directed to himself. "So, please. Say anything that I'm not going to hear from the Wilson's, or my boss, or my coworkers, or other friends in this godforsaken valley. Just say it."

Green eyes stared coldly at him. Hurt and pain erupted through those eyes as tears pooled.

Shadow tried to think of anything to say to him. _Condolences, how it felt with Maria - no. It's not anything new. He's right. It's going to be exactly like what everyone else will say, but in a different way. And none of it's going to help him. He's already mourned out loud - every day when he visited Aleena. Now, he's silently mourning to himself. He's past the stages his siblings are barely getting to. He doesn't need my advice._

 _What advice do I have to give anyway? What comfort?_

His shoulders slumped and he walked towards Sonic. The male braced himself for something the Ultimate Life Form would think was inspirational. There was a long pause. Then Shadow clapped his hand onto Sonic's shoulder and shrugged.

"So, you're still up for Joe's birthday party on Saturday?"

Sonic gave a confused look - waiting for some hidden message Shadow threw in at the last minute. "Yes."

Shadow merely nodded his head before walking towards the barn door. "Good. Because I need help with Amy."

Now he was really befuddled. Twisting around, Sonic raised an eyebrow at his frenemy. "What? That doesn't make any sense - we were talking about my mother and then you - "

"Asked Amy out on a date, which happens to be Joe's birthday party," Shadow opened the barn door. He gave Sonic a shrug as if it didn't matter. "You're busy. Keeping thoughts to yourself - grieving _._ I'll ask Silver. I'm sure he's not busy with the whole Rosy-Scourge thing. Besides, he's the one that really pushed the whole date idea thing - "

Sonic's face was priceless.

As still as a statue, Sonic only continuously blinked. "He what?"

"- I'm sure he won't mind helping. Amy did seem happy about the idea, too," Shadow walked outside and peeked his head through the door. He gave Sonic a rather cheesy, uncharacteristic grin that was beyond rare and _very_ sarcastic. "I'll talk to you later, though. Mmk?"

The barn door shut and Sonic was left to look like a complete idiot. He mumbled to himself for a moment before he finally caught up with reality and was hurrying after Shadow.

"WAIT!"

* * *

Shadow had successfully avoided Sonic's sudden pestering.

 _I'm thankful that my sudden...love life, as he called it, kept his mind off Aleena's death. Although it was rather annoying how adamant he was to get all the details._

The ebony hedgehog had hardly told Sonic anything, even after the blue male cornered him. Shadow had refused to say much besides simple things that he had already said before.

" _Silver's idea?"_

" _Silver's idea. Apparently, he was getting annoyed with all of the so-called matchmakers who did nothing."_

" _I felt like I was getting somewhere when we went appliance shopping."_

" _We had a shelf topple on top of us, including Amy. I wouldn't call that progress on any potential relationship between Amy and I, whatsoever."_

" _At least you're starting to talk like it's a possibility."_

" _...Shut up."_

Shadow didn't mind the sudden attention, except when it came to the date part.

" _So, the date is a...birthday party?"_

" _She said it like that, too. Is something wrong with taking a date to a birthday party?"_

" _Well, if one takes a date to a wedding, it might mean they're serious about the relationship. I'm not sure about a birthday party, though. Sounds...odd."_

" _Well, her and I aren't your typical couple."_

" _Aw, how cute. You referred to both of you has a couple."_

" _A pair. Not specifically a romantic couple but - oh, for Christ's sake. You know what I meant."_

" _Mmmhmm."_

Shadow took his shirt off and then his jeans. Clambering to the bed in the dark, Shadow collapsed on the soft mattress.

It suddenly dawned upon him that he wasn't alone.

Amy gave him a swift kick to the leg as she rolled over on top of his chest to turn the lamp on. She glared down at him, trying to avoid looking at anything below his collarbone. She grabbed the book she was reading and sat back on her side. Continuing from where she left off before Shadow so rudely turned off the lights, Amy tuned out the Ultimate Life Form.

He huffed in annoyance at the yellow light. Turning his head to her, he asked, "Why didn't you take this side of the bed tonight?"

"You like that side better."

"So, do you."

"Well, I...felt like being nice."

Snorting, Shadow turned on his side and away from Amy. He regretted his move instantly when realizing this made him more susceptible to the blinding light of the lamp. Tossing around again, Shadow moved to face Amy's direction. The light was a bit more bearable, but still infuriated him.

" _So, Amy liked the idea of the date?"_

" _Yes…"_

" _You're sudden silence on details makes me think something happened, Shadow."_

" _Nothing happened."_

" _Something happened, didn't it?"_

" _Something happened."_

" _Sleep with Amy Rose this early into your blossoming relationship, and I kill you."_

" _I highly doubt her kissing my cheek will impregnate her, Sonic."_

Shadow opened one eye and glanced up at Amy.

Thinking of Sonic's pestering that day, Shadow got more bold. He wondered, out of curiosity, how the young flower would respond. She seemed to like Shadow as more than just a friend. Now that her growing feelings had become aware to him, Shadow felt as if he should experiment what this meant.

Or perhaps it was simply him wanting to be closer to the hedgehog.

Groaning out of annoyance from the light, Shadow stubbornly placed his head on her stomach and burrowed into her pajamas. Amy tensed immediately but relaxed, placing the book down and sighing. She was no doubt glaring softly at him by now.

"Shadow," soft hands combed through his quills. He was liking his choice of being daring with this female. "How'd you get from the city to here? You never fully told me the story."

Shadow growled into her stomach - this time in annoyance to _her._

Tilting his head sideways so as to breathe and talk, Shadow responded to her. "Can't we have one normal night of going to bed where we don't chit chat?"

"Sure. But not tonight."

The typically introverted male mumbled something incoherent before exhaling heavily. "I went to Canada for a long while. Tails showed up with an offer of a simple home out in the country - a place where I wouldn't have to move after a week. I took it. I'm still here. The end."

Amy cracked a small grin. Her fingers were delicate to the touch. Dare Shadow say he felt hypnotized. "I've heard all of that before. But how'd Tails come across this place? How'd you meet the Wilsons?"

"Why does all of this matter to you _now_ of all times?" Shadow whined like a child. "I thought you weren't going to live in the past anymore."

"That was...just for myself," Amy blushed a little at the memory. She had almost forgotten that she had told him things no one else knew. "...You haven't told anyone, have you?"

Her cheeks grew redder as he grasped her hips. Shadow used the anchor to twist his gaze around to her face. Looking at her with a serious expression, Shadow responded, "Of course not."

"Well...good. But I still want to know about your past - how you got here really. I think it's rather intriguing."

Shadow scoffed and went back to resting on her stomach. His hold around her waist only tightened however. Amy squirmed a little to lie down rather than sit up in an uncomfortable position.

"Amy…" he droned.

"Please?"

Shadow waited for a minute or two. Maybe if he pretended to be asleep, Amy would stop asking questions.

"To get my mind off of...everything that's going on now."

Her words caught his attention quickly. Shadow's ear twitched in her direction.

"I just…" Amy continued but it was clear her voice was becoming shaky. "...I can't believe what happened actually happened…"

"I know." Red eyes stared at the blank wall in the darkness.

She licked her lips as tears developed in the corner of her eyes. "Why did it happen?"

Her voice was barely audible. Shadow almost missed it. He thought about replying to her, but instead he simply listened to the silence. He closed his eyes for a moment - catching her heartbeat. Shadow swallowed as his head moved with every breath from her.

When her fingers ceased their combing, Shadow raised his head. Amy was soon cradled in his arms as he put his chin on her head, now being above her rather than on her.

Something dared to flutter in his stomach when Amy wrapped her arms around him in return. The ebony hedgehog did his best not to shudder. Instead, he closed his eyes and thought of nothing but sleep.

Unfortunately, Amy wasn't totally ready for bed.

"Shadow...What do you think is going to happen now?"

He raised an eyebrow, eyes still closed. "What are you talking about?"

"With Sam."

He didn't suppress the shudder. This time, it wasn't anything out of delight, but out of rage. A silent rage that built up from 0 to 100 when she mentioned his name. Shadow wasn't sure if it was because Amy brought it up now of all times, or if it was the way she said his name.

 _Sam._

She said it like he wasn't a problem. Like he wasn't possibly insane, when it was her theorizing all of that nonsense up in the first place. _She_ was the one treating Samwell Turner like a complete equal and not a possible psychopath. Just by saying his name like he was a common person they saw every day - an acquaintance or something.

"Amy, I told you - "

"Shadow, you can't expect me to do nothing." She pulled away abruptly to glare at his silhouette.

He growled lowly at her. " _Drop it_."

"Since when did you get the authority to boss everyone around - telling them what they can and can't do?" Amy whispered harshly to the point where Shadow thought about letting her sleep on the floor.

Instead, he held her firmly by the waist. "Since you live under my roof."

"That doesn't mean you start parenting me. I _am_ an adult, Shadow. We've gone through this before. I don't think it's right to step aside and watch this play out . We could at least contact Scourge - "

Shadow snarled lowly again, trying to remain quiet. The last thing he needed was for Silver or Sonic to barge in. Red eyes glowered down at her as she felt his breath on her cheek. Amy flinched a little, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he intimidated her.

"We are not talking about this _ever_ again. Samwell is Scourge's own issue. We protect our own."

"But what if Scourge _is_ our own? Rosy? Rosemary?" Amy pressed the matter further. By now, she was pushing her luck to the very edge. "Are you _really_ going to let a little girl be in potential danger, Shadow? Are you really going to stand by and _watch_? That's not who you are."

She was right.

Shadow wasn't going to stand by and watch - not while he was still breathing. If Samwell Turner had spies on them, and even his own men, it meant that the bat had gone through enough trouble. It meant that Samwell Turner might actually want the Sonic Heroes permanently out of the picture for some, unknown to Shadow, reason.

The bolshie male decided not to drag the fight into a real argument. Mostly to avoid dragging attention to them. The last thing he wanted were more people in his bedroom, uninvited.

Amy was about to continue retorting, but she was caught off guard. Shadow kissed her forehead softly but clearly palpable. She closed her mouth and sunk back into his embrace.

Sighing, Amy closed her eyes. "Then what's going to happen with Sonic? Manic? Sonia and the kids? They've just lost their mother, Shadow."

"I know."

"That doesn't bother you? You're not even the least bit concerned about Sonic?"

There was a long silence between the two.

Amy's breathing slowed down as she entered a deep sleep, letting go of the conversation for now. Shadow merely stared into the darkness of the room.

His lips pressed against her forehead one more time.

He thought about Sonic. Thought about Sonic's worries - thought about his own worries. His mind reflected back onto Aleena. The future funeral. He thought about Sonia and Manic being inconsolable. He thought about Sonic standing still at a gravestone, having years to mourn a death that hadn't happened at the time. Shadow thought about everyone else - crying or impassive. He thought about all of the chaos going on - Samwell Turner, the grief haunting the house, and his practically indomitable feelings for Amy Rose.

The future funeral, yet again, ran through his mind.

Then there was the bubbling tension that would cause Sonic to snap eventually. That was what Shadow contemplated about the most after first thinking about it.

Despite what Sonic had told him - which was basically not to worry - he could sense that the blue hero wasn't alright.

 _No one ever is. Not in this situation. I don't care if he had five or ten or fifteen years beforehand to mourn his mother's death. He wasn't mourning then - he was preparing. But no one can prepare for this sort of thing._ Shadow knew from experience.

 _When they're alive, you'll never fully know what it's like when they'll be gone. Your brain and body doesn't know that feeling yet. Not until they're actually gone. He can bottle it all in as long as he wants, but it's not going to be pretty when he finally decides to let it all out._

He wasn't trying to be sappy.

Not in any way.

But if Amy had said that Shadow didn't care about Sonic - wasn't concerned about him at this very moment - then she was more naive than he originally thought.

Shadow nuzzled her quills after planting the soft kiss to her temple. Exhaling heavily, he closed his eyes and whispered to the dreaming female.

"I'm always worried about Sonic."

* * *

 _Holy shit, there were times when I wasn't sure if I would finish this. BUT. This chapter is finally done and it's one of those bigger bitches to write - even if it lacks in length compared to others._

 _Anyway - I know some people might not be...happy with this chapter. I don't know. I normally stare at my work until I hate it anyway. XD I want to point out that some might think the pregnancy thing was a little abrupt - but it's actually been foreshadowed in multiple scenes if some have forgotten. Hell, I've forgotten most of the story to the point where I constantly have to re-read it. The pregnancy thing is also not going to be cliche - that's all I'm going to say about it. You can imagine/predict the rest if you want. XD Um, I will also say that this pregnancy thing was planned for Those Country Boys, so it's always been on the backburner but never put into play until now - in the redo - since there will be no Those Country Boys. That City Girl is going to be a stand-alone story. No sequel, but maybe an 'Aftermath' story of one to three chapters to play as the Epilogue._

 _Aaaanywho. I tried to get this grieving thing somewhat right, and that's probably why it took so long to write. Because I've personally never had to deal with grieving this extremely - so I'm doing my best._

 _I don't know when I'll be able to upload. It's currently finals week this week - so I'll probably write Friday when it's over. :) I hope ya'll have had a great two and half months or so! XD_

 _See ya next chapter, and spread those positive vibes!_

 _Arrivederci!_

 _(Chapter title isn't my fav (meaning I couldn't think of one) so if any of you readers have appropriate chapter title names for this chapter, please put them in with your comment below. Thanks!)_


	26. Sign of Life

**STH © SEGA/Archie**

 **Sarah, Peter, Samwell, Rosemary & the Wilson Family © Cozy Shadow **

**Flame, Petunia, Jeffery, and Sunny © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands or names (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 **Guest Review Responses:**

 **To Walalo:** Yeah, life gets busy. Fanfiction isn't top priority of mine. XD My old account is still actually up, but under a different name which no one will ever find. Muhahaha - but all the old stories I did are still deleted. And I won't be recreating them, either. The one you're referring to was called "Their Family," and it was my first ever story. I still know to this day what date I finished it. :P But I won't be redoing that one, probably ever. I think about it and cringe - and I don't even remember a whole lot of it. Plus, I don't have the documents for it anymore. I did things a lot differently back then, than I do now. I don't want to be stuck here doing redoes of stories, also. I want to do other stories that have been on the backburner for years, lol. I'm thinking TCG might be the last redo for a while.

* * *

 _I'd sit here and type excuses because a bad excuse is better than none at all - but I decided I don't really have to explain to anyone what's going on with my life personally. So, here is the next chapter of TCG, if you're still waiting around for me to update. I appreciate those who have stuck with me this long. Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Six:**

 **Sign of Life**

That night had gone by better.

The household had gone to sleep at a decent time, and weren't intruded by any late night calls from the hospital. Everyone slept well - or as well as one can when grieving.

For the majority, everyone was still sleeping by the time seven-thirty rolled around. Silver and Blaze were still fast asleep on the couches by the main entrance. Manic and Sunny were somehow wrapped around each other on the couch in the living room. The other couch was taken up by Butch.

He appeared to be the only other living thing awake besides Shadow.

Shadow had gone out to feed the animals and had come back in. Upon seeing no one else up, he was grateful he'd decided to stay in his pajamas. Sauntering back to his bedroom, he wasn't surprised to see Amy hogging up the bed. Her feet tangled around the blanket as she was curled up in a ball.

The ebony hedgehog went to close the door, stopping the dog from coming in. He didn't want Butch to wake up the dozing female. Unfortunately, Butch had mastered squeezing through the door before Shadow could close it.

" _Butch!"_ Shadow hissed quietly.

The dog paid no attention to his Master. Butch wanted to see his Master's new mate, as it had been a long time since seeing her at dinner.

He hopped up on the bed before Shadow could take another step. Softly, he placed one paw on either side of Amy's body, sniffing at her quills. His tail wagged happily when she swatted at his nose. Butch couldn't resist himself at that moment.

Originally, Amy thought she was swatting at Shadow. But her mind was still in a reverie state when the tongue licked her cheek. It dawned upon her that, despite her and Shadow's unknown future together, the Ultimate Life Form wasn't one to lick someone's cheek.

She moaned in annoyance. "Dog," she merely grumbled, pushing her face into the pillow. "Go away."

Her hand continued to swat at wherever the dog might be. Once she made contact with something, Amy thought it was Butch - and that the whack was hard enough to send the mutt away. Yet luck was not on her side.

"Ow."

This time she opened her eyes a bit. Apologetically, she glanced up at the dark hedgehog that was crawling back into bed. "I thought you were up."

"I was. I fed animals. No one was up yet, and I figured a few more minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt."

She cracked a smile, ignoring the dog heavily breathing behind her now. "It looks like I'm a bad influence on you. Perhaps I should sleep downstairs."

Amy would have been lying if she said butterflies didn't flutter in her stomach as Shadow's arms snaked around her waist and pulled her closer to him. A blush crept up on her cheeks, but she burrowed into his chest fur before he could notice.

Shadow scoffed. "Sonic has managed to persuade me into sleeping in once or twice on cattle drives with the Wilson's. Not particularly the _best_ idea."

Her giggle was barely heard in his chest. Amy tilted her head to stare up at him.

Butch tried to squeeze in with them somehow, as he was beginning to feel left out. At least the mated pair across the hallway made room for him when he intruded. Butch let out a huff, causing Amy to lightly smile and pat his head softly.

Shadow sighed as he rested his chin on her head. It became quiet for quite some time, but neither of them were asleep. As he stared at the wall, she gazed into the dark curtains that the sun tried peeking through.

A thought hit Amy.

"I don't have a dress for the funeral on Sunday. Or anything for the birthday party, if it's semi-formal. And I doubt Blaze or Sunny have anything."

"Perhaps Sarah has something," Shadow tried to walk around the conversation as he knew where it would lead to: going to town.

"You and I both know Blaze and Sunny are skinnier than Sarah. Besides, I've looked into her closet before when there was that Valentine's Day party at the school. I thought maybe there'd be something a bit more modest in there than the dress that I had."

Shadow snorted. "You certainly wouldn't have fit into her dresses. All you women are skinnier than Sarah. Or you at least lack hips."

" _Hey!"_ Amy whispered harshly, glaring at him. "I have hips. Need I remind you that you're holding them _now?"_

Shadow grumbled something incoherent as his grip changed from on her hip bones to around her stomach. "Still. There wouldn't be anything you'd fit into in Sarah's closet. Even if she had any dresses to wear."

"Oh, so you look in their closet, too?" Amy batted her eyes and laughed a little. "Someone have a secret crush on Sarah?"

"What?" Shadow narrowed his eyes at her.

"It's a joke, Shadow. Don't take things so literally," Amy reassured. The sight of his cheeks reddening in embarrassment just a tad was good enough for her. "She doesn't have a lot of dresses either - and none that I saw were black. Plus, I don't think Silver and Manic brought a suit."

"They all came for the wedding, why wouldn't any of them have suits?"

"They're a little early for the wedding. I think they just wanted to catch up with the group - and rent tuxes when the wedding rolled around," Amy assumed, although it wasn't particularly Silver and Blaze's reason for showing up early.

Shadow fought the urge to roll his eyes. "So, you're saying we need to go to town."

"Hmhm," she hummed in agreement. Staring up at him, it was clear that some excitement danced in those emerald eyes. The idea of getting out of the gloomy house made Amy almost leap out of bed right then and there to leave. "That is if the others want to go too."

"Maybe they won't want to…" Shadow whispered mainly to himself with hope.

Amy tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "You don't have a suit? Sonic?"

"I think Sonic has one from some meeting he went to once. And possibly a co-worker's wedding two years ago. But I've never had a reason to get one."

"Really? Nothing with the Wilson's?"

"Birthday parties are casual there. Some of the women wear spring dresses, though."

He wasn't trying to throw the idea out that Amy should get a spring dress and wear it on their kind-of date.

No.

Absolutely not.

But the image did cross his mind and it did strike his fancy. He blamed his animal drive, but knew a part of his logical side agreed that a spring dress could look good on Amy. Hell, anything in his opinion would look good on her.

"Shadow?" Amy questioned the male when he started to look off into space.

"Huh?" Red eyes stared into green. He swallowed. "Yeah, other than parties, there's been nothing formal from the Wilson's that I've been invited to."

"No wedding?"

"I think there was one, but it was one of the older kids I didn't know. Barely met them, if I recall. They're into real estate and whatnot in California. Not much for the ranching type. Besides, their wedding was in Hawaii. I stayed with Sonic and some of the Wilson's farmhands to take care of the farm and ranch."

"They have workers?"

"Well, they'd better if they have half the land in this valley. You didn't think they had just kids to help them, did you?"

Amy's ears folded back against her head. "I guess not...So, town?"

"Ugh," Shadow groaned. "I don't want to -"

"Please."

He leaned his head into his pillow. So much for the few extra minutes of sleep he had originally planned for. He blamed the dog.

Gazing down at Amy, his expression softened. Shadow wanted to be obstinate about the whole idea, but he knew it wasn't something they could avoid. They couldn't show up in their regular attire to Aleena's funeral.

It'd be disrespectful.

Exhaling heavily through his nose for the longest time, Shadow kept eye contact with her. Neither one of them blinked. One waited in anticipation for the designated driver to give in. The other bided their time before they had to cave.

Unfortunately for the latter, it wouldn't last forever.

With one more groan, Shadow rolled over. "Fine."

* * *

While it wasn't for a particularly happy occasion, Amy managed to corner everyone into going to town.

 _I almost had to throw Blaze in the vehicle._ Amy was proud of herself, despite everyone clearly not fully awake nor wanting to go. _Still, a day in town will be better than a day here. Cooped up in this house. At least, I hope it'll be better._

She was stuck in the back seat again, with Manic and Sunny. Blaze and Silver had opted to take Sarah's car and promised not to detour or "accidentally" get lost. Shadow drove Sonic's truck - which seemed odd to Amy.

 _Sure, he drove it when we went to the hospital, but that was because Sonic was a complete mess. He couldn't drive. But, he's capable of driving now._

She glanced over at the passenger seat.

Sonic remained stoic, yet there was a harshness in his gaze. Something Amy couldn't put her finger on. She looked to Sarah, who sat in the middle of the two males. The lime green hedgehog had been terribly quiet all throughout breakfast. The only time she spoke was when agreeing that she too needed a dress for the funeral.

 _Other than that…_ Amy frowned as she looked at the engaged couple. _Something seems off between the two. They seem...further apart._

The more she stared, the more she convinced herself it was true.

 _Sarah's even leaning towards Shadow -_

"Do you mind?" The ebony male suddenly spoke, whispering towards Sarah.

"Huh?" Sarah seemed to break out of some reverie. "What?"

Shadow raised an eyebrow, glancing from the road to her. "You're practically leaning on me, Sarah."

"Sorry."

Amy probably wasn't the only one to see the hesitancy to move closer to Sonic. The rose flower frowned. _What could be wrong between them? Sarah seems like she doesn't want to be near Sonic, yet Sonic -_

At that point in time, it seemed that Sarah hadn't moved far enough from Shadow - at least to Sonic. The blue hedgehog had his arms wrapped around her waist instantly. Before Sarah could even retort, she was nearly laying on top of Sonic.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Jesus, I didn't mean _ride_ Sonic."

Amy raised an eyebrow at Sarah's response: flushed cheeks. _Sarah wouldn't normally care what Shadow says about their relationship. Why is she so jittery around Sonic now?_

Green eyes caught the quick movement of Sarah escaping from Sonic's grasp. After some time of observing the two lovebirds, Amy finally came up with the word that described them at the moment.

 _Tug-of-war._

 _Sonic looks kind of...not so happy with her. I wouldn't say angry. There's no word to describe it. Sarah seems the same way - they're trying to pull each other apart. Or at least Sarah is. Despite his look, Sonic's actually sticking to Sarah like glue._

Amy watched the two with an odd look.

 _Something is far from normal with these two. I wonder if I can talk to Sarah._

The confusing couple finally stopped their fidgeting when Shadow glared at them. Sonic gave a little sneer for some reason, but ultimately went back to looking out the window. Sarah reluctantly leaned against her fiancé and shut her eyes. Manic and Sunny remained oblivious to everything, whispering their own conversation in each others' ears.

Amy, all the while, was hatching a plan of attack already.

~.~

The first stop was for the suits.

Manic leaned forward to stare at the sign. He squinted a bit. "The Suit Store?"

"What can you say? This town is great at naming things," Shadow deadpanned. He unbuckled his seatbelt and glanced around the parking lot. Silver and Blaze were parked beside them and were literally the only car near them. "Looks like it's pretty empty today."

"It is a weekday," Sunny noted, but a gave a small smile. "At least, it'll be a quick stop, right?"

"I don't know," Manic whispered in an almost sing-song fashion. He cracked a tiny grin and glanced at his girlfriend. "I might take awhile to get back at you for all those times we went shopping back home."

"Hey!"

Amy didn't bother to listen to the rest of their banter. She hopped out of the truck along with the other four, leaving Manic and Sunny to trail behind. Silver and Blaze stood outside Sarah's car, staring at the store with disdain. The pink hedgehog nudged Blaze a little - still wary of their conversation a day ago.

"How was the drive?"

"Quiet," Blaze replied curtly. She flicked her tail and walked towards the store, not giving Amy a second glance.

Amy thinned her lips and caught Silver's eye.

She merely shrugged and pretended she had no clue what Blaze's cold shoulder was about. The white hedgehog didn't seem entirely convinced, but he went on ahead anyway. Amy sighed in relief, wondering if Blaze could ever come to terms with the whole idea of someone actually dating Shadow the Hedgehog willingly.

 _And having that someone be me of all people. I just hope whatever rift is between us will mend itself in time. I'm sure it'll pass. She's cautious, and worried about me - I get it. But I am an adult. No matter how many mistakes I might have made that led me here, those mistakes are somewhat blessings._

She jumped a little when Shadow nudged her. He raised an eyebrow at her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she reassured him, giving him a little smile. Amy turned towards the small store in the downtown area. It was quiet and peaceful - perhaps just what they needed. "C'mon," she boldly grabbed his hand and marched towards the glass doors.

Shadow swallowed heavily at the feeling of holding her hand. It felt so...intimate. Still, he allowed this to go on until they walked into the store.

Releasing his small grasp on her hand, Shadow cleared his throat. "Just don't get too bored. We'll try and make this quick."

Amy cast him another small grin, and he wandered off after Silver. Manic trudged behind with Sunny, still chatting away but softly. Blaze preoccupied herself by looking at the watches in glass cases near the only worker. Amy still remained at the front of the store, unsure of where to go or who to follow until her eyes found the last couple of the group.

 _Sarah and Sonic. There they are._

Amy pondered as she observed the two. Not wanting to look suspicious, Amy walked between two mannequins and into a separate aisle of bow ties. She picked up a striped one, pretending to be interested in its hideous pattern.

Taking glances, she watched both hedgehogs.

Sarah wandered aimlessly, picking at the wooden shelves occasionally or holding onto a tie. Sonic looked at suits hanging on the walls, already pre-matched with a shirt underneath. Anytime there was about a ten foot distance between the two, Amy came closer.

 _Here's my chance. I can just start a conversation with Sarah, and maybe Sonic will go away._

"Sarah."

That was it. That was all it took. Every time.

Sonic would barely mutter her name - _whisper it_ \- and Sarah would be back in his line of vision. Amy found it absurdly annoying, especially since he had never been so needy before.

 _Just what the hell is he doing? They're so quiet, you can feel the tension from across the store! Yet Sonic won't let her out of his sight. Something's definitely up._

The pink flower wasn't even trying to be discreet anymore. She glared openly at Sonic as they circled the store. She got a look from Shadow, passing the ebony male once. He didn't quite understand why Amy was clearly following the two around the store, but he made no comment out loud about it.

So, she continued doing so until finally, she caught a gap of space between the two.

Sonic had become attached to a certain bland looking suit by the fifth time they walked around the store. He was staring at it, inspecting every inch of it for some unknown reason. And Sarah had successfully sauntered over to a swivelling display of watches.

Amy glanced around to see everyone's position at that point.

Blaze was helping Silver pick out a tie, seeming quite frustrated that her boyfriend wouldn't settle for the one she picked out. Sunny and Manic were whispering in each other's ears still while looking through dress shoes. Sonic was enthralled with the suit several feet away, and Shadow was nowhere to be found.

Not wanting to waste a moment, Amy dived in.

"Hey," she smiled a little too cheerfully as she stood next to Sarah. "What'cha doing?"

The lime green hedgehog was silent. She stared at Amy as if the rose hedgehog was off her rockers. Seeming to calculate something in her head, Sarah gave Amy a knowing look. "What do you want, Amy?"

"What, I can't have a conversation with you?"

"Not when you're so terrible at pretending like you want to have a normal conversation. It's quite clear you're about to start asking questions," Sarah turned the swivelling display, letting it make a terrible squeaking sound.

"Well, I couldn't help but be observant about some things," Amy confessed. She glanced over Sarah's shoulder and didn't see Sonic. She looked around and barely caught the blue blur heading to the changing room. "Sarah?"

The female picked up a watch in its case. "Hm?"

"What's going on between you and Sonic?"

In that moment, Sarah nearly dropped the case that held the expensive watch. She cleared her throat multiple times, setting the watch back into the display. Staring at Amy with wide eyes, she finally sighed and relaxed. "Care to elaborate?"

Amy narrowed her eyebrows just a titch. "You weren't talking during breakfast. You seemed about ready to jump out the window of the truck before you sat near him. There's tension between you two - he seems almost angry about something." She glanced back at the changing rooms..

"He's not angry," she heard behind her. "He's upset."

"Upset about what?" Amy pried, turning back towards Sarah.

"You know, you shouldn't put your nose where it doesn't belong."

"I'm just concerned about you two, is all. Like you wouldn't stop asking me about Shadow. Why can't I ask a question about you and Sonic?" Amy nearly glared. She put her hands on her hips. "Seems like you're a hypocrite - "

"Amy, I'm pregnant."

The rose hedgehog stopped breathing for a second. But she blinked back into reality. Nothing but silence came between the two. "What?" Amy breathlessly asked. She tugged on her front quill. "W-Why would he be upset about that?"

"He's not upset about me being pregnant," Sarah scoffed, rolling her eyes. "He's probably thrilled about the idea."

"Then what is he upset about?"

Sarah sighed. "Well, for starters, I didn't tell him a damn thing at first. I had thoughts that I was ever since we - " she paused, stopping herself from saying anything too personal.

Amy merely grabbed her arm and dragged Sarah to the closest thing to sit on, which thankfully was a couch. She practically pushed Sarah down onto it before sitting down herself. Clasping her hands together, Amy stared expectantly.

"So, it's for sure?"

"Knowing my luck," Sarah muttered. She rubbed her arm as if she were cold, looking away from Amy. "I haven't taken a test yet, but it's on my to-do list."

"Sarah - "

"Tonight. I'll do it tonight. Trust me," Sarah reassured, making eye contact. "Now with _him_ watching my every move, it's hard to postpone it," she motioned to the changing room near the back.

"Wait, how'd he find out if you never told him?" Amy asked. "And why were you postponing it?"

"Let's just say, I'm not a big fan of having kids of my own. Responsibility and commitment. It was a big enough step with the whole engagement, I didn't think this would happen. It was an honest, dumb mistake."

"And he found out, how?" Amy repeated her first question.

Sarah made a groaning sound. "It wasn't pretty. When we took our turn showering, I could tell he was onto it, he just thought I was sick in a sense like Aleena. Not sick as in pregnancy. At least, he didn't put it together until last night..."

 _Flashback_

 _The pillow was calling her name._

 _Sarah walked back into the room after brushing her teeth, ignoring the feeling of nausea._

' _God, I thought it only occurred in the morning. Maybe I do just have a stomach flu. But still...I missed my period. It's been plenty of days since Sonic and I last had sex. That dumb morning in the shower - the day after he proposed. Goddamnit, why didn't I say anything about protection? Had we taken precautions, then I wouldn't be worrying right now. And my period probably would have shown up by now. Big chance it would have.'_

 _She was still trying to come to grips with the possible fact that something might be growing inside her. Of course, it wasn't even the size of a sesame seed yet. But it had its own way of terrifying her._

' _I thought maybe one kid in the future. Far future. Hell, maybe even two. Not now. Not barely after getting engaged.'_

 _Sarah shook her head free of thoughts upon seeing the bed neatly made. She would have crashed then and there had Sonic not blocked her way._

" _We need to talk."_

 _Fear struck her again. She didn't want to talk. She wanted to pretend she didn't know English._

" _Hold that thought - " Turning, Sarah went towards the door._

 _Unfortunately, she easily forgot who Sonic the Hedgehog was. And that she was dating the fastest thing alive. The door shut and his hand rested on it. Clearly, she wasn't going to be able to open it, run outside, and drive across the border._

" _Sarah. Now."_

 _Twisting around slowly, Sarah bit her bottom lip in anxiety. She folded her arms across her stomach, aware that something was probably in there. And even more so aware that Sonic was catching up._

 _He swallowed, staring down at her as if he still felt betrayed. "I know you're lying to me. You're not fine."_

" _What makes you think that?" she whispered, looking at anything but him._

" _Because you're avoiding eye contact," he nearly growled. "Not to mention, you're fidgeting like crazy. I know when you're lying, Sarah. It's not that hard to see."_

 _She scoffed, staring up at him. "Maybe I'm just tired. Tired of you trying to make up something that isn't there. I'm fine."_

" _You can't bluff that waking up in the middle of the night to go hurl your guts out is something normal."_

 _Sarah ducked under his arm and went towards the bed. She was aware of how close he was getting. Turning to face him, she wasn't surprised to feel his breath on her cheek. Just a little annoyed. "I told you, a stomach flu is passing through the school."_

" _You're not acting like you're sick."_

" _I'm puking. I'm sick," Sarah flailed her arms and climbed onto the bed. She was on her knees now, facing him. She became aware of how still Sonic had become. "What?" she hissed in annoyance, trying to be quiet. She was aware of the household falling asleep - as she wanted to be apart of them._

" _You're not sick."_

 _She froze. 'Shit. He knows. I'm dead. I am so dead.'_

 _Sonic wasn't catching up as quickly as he could run, but his mind was at least putting the pieces together correctly. He raised an eyebrow as he approached her slowly. "You just said you were sick - as if waving it off as an excuse. You were being sarcastic."_

" _I'm sick, Sonic. A stomach flu - "_

" _Shut up." Sonic glared, leaning across the bed. He put his fists down to balance him as his nose touched her. "Stop lying to me, Sarah. If you're not sick, then what's wrong?"_

" _Bulimia - "_

" _I know you better than that. You hate the whole idea of vomiting, and you don't care what you look like compared to other women. You wouldn't do that -_ I know you. _"_

 _Sarah, at that moment, realized how he was one step ahead of her in excuses. And how she was barely ahead of him in the real situation. "Sonic," her voice faltered._

" _There's something…" Sonic whispered, crawling closer until his nose nuzzled into the crook of her neck. "I sense it."_

 _Had anyone walked in, they'd assume the couple was being lovey dovey and immediately get out of the room. But Sarah knew better than to relax, even as he kissed her shoulder lovingly._

" _There's plenty of differences between Shadow and I. For starters, I'm faster." He nipped at her neck, smelling her scent. His hand reached out and grabbed her waist. "And while he might have the more noticeable animalistic traits, I am just as instinctive."_

 _She flinched at the low growl that rumbled through his throat. She didn't quite understand what he was getting at, but her own instincts told her that her secret was out._

 _Suddenly, she was on her back, lying down on the bed. Her mate towered over her and softly glared at her. They were a few centimeters apart. Sonic's low growl turned into a purr as he bent down and nuzzled her neck._

 _When he pulled away, Sarah glowered harshly at him. Sonic merely sported a blank stare. "If you're so instinctive, then what do you guess? What do you_ sense, _Sonic?" she hissed again._

 _He gritted his teeth. "Don't snap at me." He lowered himself again and practically laid down on top of her. "I'm still guessing," he mumbled in annoyance. It irked him. He wanted to know. It was on the tip of his tongue - he just knew it._

 _Sonic continued his nipping at her neck, before he went down. She squirmed under his hold, instinct telling her that he had already succeeded in impregnating her. That seducing her now was pointless, and a little uncomfortable._

' _Please tell me that doesn't confirm that something is growing in me,' she pleaded to herself._

 _Her husband-to-be seemed to pause as she stiffened. Something dawned upon Sonic. His gaze shifted down to her stomach, and so did his nose. She smelled different. Not like her usual scent of the peach body wash. And not like when she was on her period -_

 _Sonic froze. This time, he was the one to stiffen._

 _The change in scent was starting to become noticeable. His nose twitched as his grip tightened. He hovered over her. Looking into his deep gaze, Sarah could tell he knew._

" _I…" She faltered as she raised an eyebrow and shrugged at him. "I think I'm pregnant?"_

 _For the longest time, he stared. And the longer he stared, the more Sarah thought she had broke him. Tapping his cheek lightly with her finger, Sarah bit her bottom lip. "Sonic? Say something."_

" _Uh um," Sonic was still grasping the news._

' _This explains the feeling I was getting while we were in the shower or in bed. Alone together, yet it felt like something else was there. Because something else is there.' Sonic was caught up in his own thoughts._

 _Sarah remained still underneath him. She watched with a questioning gaze, wondering if her mate's sanity was completely gone by now._

 _The blue blur gripped the sheets. 'Why didn't she say anything? Why did she try to hide this from me?'_

 _His gaze turned a little harsh as his ears flipped back against his head. Breaking out of his trance, Sonic met her gaze. "You think or you know?"_

" _I...don't know."_

" _And you didn't say anything because?" Sonic gritted his teeth. "How long have you had the symptoms?"_

 _Sarah could feel her head on the pillow. And all she wanted was to sleep - she didn't want to be pestered with his never ending questions. "A few days. Sonic, we didn't...um...you know, use protection the morning after you proposed."_

" _..."_

" _And it's technically been long enough to start having the symptoms, and I missed my period. So I only started assuming that I was pregnant. I mean, there was a small flu going around school, but I'm not around any of the other teachers that have it. So the more this goes on, the more I just keep thinking that I am...pregnant."_

 _Brown eyes hesitantly looked up at Sonic. He sat up, sitting on her legs. Sarah propped herself up via her elbows. Sonic merely ran his hands over the sheets before heavily exhaling._

" _And you didn't take a test or anything?"_

" _Not yet."_

 _Sonic narrowed his eyes. "If you kept thinking you might be pregnant, why didn't you take a test. Hell, why didn't you say anything to me, Sarah? God, I was worried sick for a moment there."_

" _And you're still not worried," Sarah scoffed. "I could be pregnant, Sonic. An actual living thing inside of me that we have to keep alive. And you're not worried?"_

" _I'm not a drama queen like you are," Sonic put it bluntly, to which Sarah gave an offended expression. "I'm more concerned about the fact that you didn't trust me enough to tell me. Sarah, we're partners. You come to me with this type of situation so we can work through it together. Like a team."_

 _She pouted her bottom lip out and looked away. "I never liked working in groups."_

 _Sonic sighed at his overdramatic mate. He crawled in beside her and hugged her from behind. "You're taking a test as soon as possible, Sarah. Even if I have to hover over you to make sure you do it."_

 _She merely growled in annoyance at him, but he combed through her quills. She could sense that he still wasn't quite happy with her answers, or with the fact that she hadn't told him upon first thinking she was pregnant._

 _Sarah figured she would leave out the detail that she had told her estranged parents before him - just in case._

 _End of Flashback_

"So...that's it. That's where the crumbs have fallen so far."

Amy blinked, unsure of how to respond to the entire thing. She coughed awkwardly while rubbing the back of her neck. "Well...that was quite the way of him figuring it out." She blushed at certain details of the story, as Sarah hadn't left anything out. "So, he's cooled down since then?"

"A little. Won't let me out of his sight. As if I'll vanish into thin air and change my name," Sarah snorted. She rested her chin on her hand with her elbow on her knee. "And despite the lack of any test results, he's positive I'm pregnant. Says he can sense it, and that I'm already smelling different. Whatever the hell that means..."

Amy still couldn't find the words. But she didn't need to.

A snort behind them drew their attention to one Shadow the Hedgehog. The eavesdropper stared down at Sarah as if he knew it would happen sooner rather than later.

Sarah groaned. "Great. What do you want? I can't _possibly_ wait to hear what you have to say."

Red eyes continued to stare down at her knowingly. A smug smirk came across his muzzle.

"Tails owes me fifty dollars now."

* * *

By the time the men were done with the suits, it was lunchtime. The group had quickly stopped off at a restaurant and gotten lunch. When they were done, they headed to find dresses for the girls.

"At least it's just black dresses," Silver muttered.

Despite being aware of what the dresses were for, Silver didn't want to be stuck in a dress shop for longer than needed. He wasn't the only one either.

Blaze glanced over a black dress, and then another. There were slight differences, and she was unsure about which one. However, she didn't dare ask Silver for she knew he wouldn't notice the differences.

Still, she wanted to get done with this shopping trip.

The day had been uneventful, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Blaze was bored, to say the least - but as time went on during the day, she noticed she was practically the only one bored.

Well, a certain pair didn't seem too bored.

Amber eyes watched the pink hedgehog stand oh-so-close to the ebony hedgehog.

Despite her and Amy's conversation, the feline was still wary of Shadow. And yet...she wondered.

Amy and Shadow weren't far off, looking at spring dresses no doubt for their "date." Blaze frowned. _How strange of him to ask her to a birthday party for an old man as a date. Yet he seems completely sincere with his actions towards her._

Shadow was calm as he leaned against a display. Amy was talking about some dress or something, but Blaze was focused on how entranced Shadow seemed with her. The way he stared at her didn't seem healthy for the Ultimate Life Form. Or at least nothing Blaze had ever seen from him, which was very little. Shadow's red eyes were soft as they gazed down at Amy. A small smirk was barely noticeable, playing at his lips. His ears were directed towards Amy, completely enthralled with the being in front of him.

Blaze continued to frown.

She looked down at one dress and grabbed it, leaving the other on its hook. As she turned to the dressing room not two feet away, she decided to clear her mind and see what Silver thought. After all, they were an odd couple to begin with as well.

"Silver?"

"Hm?" Her boyfriend wasn't much for paying attention when she was shopping. He was used to just sitting there - Blaze was quite silent when shopping. "What?"

"What do you think about Shadow and Amy's relationship?"

Silver raised an eyebrow. Blaze was in the dressing room, slowly taking off her clothes. The white hedgehog turned his head to look in the direction of where Amy and Shadow were. All he saw was the top of Shadow's quills - as Silver was sitting down on the comfy bench.

"...What's with the sudden interest?"

"Pfft," Blaze scoffed. "Don't give me that - you were interested, too. Don't act like I was the only one concerned about her decisions."

"We're not her parents, Blaze."

"Well, they're going on a date!" Blaze hissed under her breath. She grabbed the dress and slipped it on. "And for some reason my mind can't wrap around it - they seem so much odder than us when they're together. Did Amy tell you that she was going on a date with him? With Shadow the Hedgehog of all people? I'm still trying to figure out how with such a short time being here with them, Amy agreed to going on a date with him!"

She made sure to be quiet so only Silver could hear, but she knew she wanted to practically grab Amy and yell all of it.

"Blaze…"

"I guess I just don't see what she sees in him. We didn't really know him that well, and I suppose they have more in common now than back then, but still - "

"Blaze, there's something I didn't tell you." Silver looked at the dressing room door. He clasped his hands together and leaned forward. There was little to no chance she would stop once she started. But he had to tell her the truth.

"What?"

"I...I was the one to convince Shadow to ask Amy out on a date…" Silver winced at every word, waiting for Blaze to snap his neck.

The door to the dressing room opened, and Silver looked her up and down in the black dress. Blaze, however, was staring at him as if he were a lunatic. "What?"

"I'm the reason they're going on a date."

"But why?" Blaze narrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I thought you didn't like the idea of Amy and Shadow dating."

Silver was hesitant. "...I'm not sure anymore, Blaze. Everyone figures that Amy would be great for Shadow, and I agree with them. But I'm also wondering if Shadow is any good for Amy. He's got a past darker than hers, and people still aren't welcoming of him. It's not the typical good girl falls for bad boy situation here. It's...different."

Silver stood as Blaze folded her arms.

"Look at them." He gestured with his hands softly.

The feline took a moment, but she reluctantly looked over at her friend and Shadow. The two were getting along as if they were already a couple. She could see the signs, the subtle hints.

Arms wrapped around her warmly. "I figured it wasn't too late to give the guy a chance. Especially since he's gone through so much. Despite how different they are, we have to realize that whatever things they have in common are things they only know about. I mean, how many people know that you and I like ordering Chinese rather than going out? While all of our friends in New York imagine us as the couple to go out to fancy restaurants every night. Those types of things - those intimate things are shared between us. And whatever Amy and Shadow have right now, I'm not going to stand in the way any longer," Silver admitted.

Blaze stared up at him.

"I don't see Shadow as a villain - as a bad guy wanting to hurt Amy. All I fear is that he might hurt her unintentionally. And that fear isn't just for them. It's a risk with any relationship. Hell, I'm scared when I say something and you seem hurt. But it's just another risk, Blaze. I convinced Shadow to ask Amy out on a date to see how sincere he really was. And yet you and I both know deep down that Shadow is one of the most loyal friends we could have," Silver stated. "We can't parent her anymore. She's a grown adult. She can make her own decisions, even if those decisions make us bite our nails."

He waited for his girlfriend to respond. She only stared at him with an understanding look.

Swallowed, Silver nodded slowly. "So, we give Shadow the chance. Chances being one of those things not many people would give him. Different is the only thing people have ever seen him as. Even us." He grabbed her hands and kissed them softly. "But I think in our moment of trying to stop Amy from making any more mistakes that might hurt her, we overlooked him. And how similar he is to us. All of us."

Blaze bit her bottom lip. "What about his animal instincts? Sonic's stated several times since we've arrived that he's cautious in that area. Shadow could very well lose control - "

"You've read Sally's books more than me," Silver said with a small laugh, knowing she was only trying to find an excuse. "And I know from the books she's written, upon infinite amounts of research, that if Shadow and Amy were to actually date and become closer - then his animal instincts are toned down. Put to ease, if you will, and he becomes "normal." Besides, it's Shadow the Hedgehog we're talking about. The guy has self-control. Give him a chance, Blaze. Give _them_ a chance."

He kissed her forehead and let go, walking a step back. "Okay?"

"Okay."

Silver smiled at her before turning to walk around. Manic's voice calling for Silver brought the white hedgehog further away from Blaze.

The feline stood outside the dressing room in the simple black dress. She looked down at the other dress. Catching herself slightly grinning, Blaze grabbed the dress from the rack.

 _Maybe he does see differences better than I thought. But perhaps he's right._ She warmly looked at the duo in front of her, a little ways off and still close together. _Maybe we should be looking at the similarities instead._

* * *

When all was said and done for the day, the group had gone back to Shadow's house with aching feet. Manic couldn't believe how long it had taken them all to get their suits and dresses - and some added groceries for the extra mouths to feed.

Still, something seemed off with a certain few.

The green hedgehog was sprawled out on the couch. The clock on the wall showed that it was almost nine. Shadow rested in the rocking chair. Silver and Blaze were watching the television, and Sunny was curled up next to Manic.

The latter wasn't looking at the television or sleeping though.

He observed his older brother with a look akin to concern. Glancing at Shadow, Manic wondered if the ebony hedgehog noticed that the blue blur was currently pacing like crazy. He wondered how the hell it wasn't bothering Silver or Blaze whenever Sonic walked in front of the TV.

Glancing around the room, Manic realized something.

 _Sarah and Amy are gone...Huh. I could've sworn as soon as we got home Sarah went to the bathroom. And then Amy followed._ Manic raised his eyebrow as he looked at the hallway. _Are they in there together? What the hell are they doing?_

Staring at his brother, Manic became aware of how reclusive Sonic and Sarah had been in the grocery store. While Shadow had made him push the cart, the ebony male rattled off things for Silver and Blaze to fetch off the shelves. That left Sunny and Amy just to catch up while Sonic and Sarah were God knows where.

 _But why the secrecy? Something doesn't feel right as is. Sonic's been acting strange. Maybe it has to do with Mom's…_ Manic stopped his train of thought as he couldn't even _think_ the word. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Uh, hey, Sonic?" Silver finally broke the silence. "Not to be rude or anything, but why the hell are you pacing back in forth? I can't watch the TV."

"Sorry," Sonic mumbled but continued with his pacing.

Blaze and Silver gave each other a look of confusion. They glanced at Shadow to see if he was seeing the same thing, but he was only focused on the screen of the television.

"Sonic? Are you alright?" Blaze hesitantly asked.

"Fine. I'm fine."

"Really? Well, great. Sit down then," Silver droned with a blank stare. "I can't watch TV."

As Blaze nudged him sharply with her elbow, Silver glared at the blue hedgehog. Why the hell was he still pacing? "You need to go for a run, Sonic? Jesus, _stop_."

Sonic let out a low growl, which awoke Sunny and got Manic's attention. The couples looked at each other from across the couches. It was a peculiar thing - Sonic growling.

"Relax, Sonic." Shadow calmer voice suddenly broke Sonic's concentration on pacing.

The blue hedgehog let out a sigh as his quills ruffled a little. He stopped pacing, but still stood in the middle of the living room. As he blocked the screen, Silver gritted his teeth. " _Sonic._ There are twenty places to sit in this house. Get out of the way."

Sonic only stood there for a minute. Then he continued to pace, but this time he gripped his quills and scratched his head nervously.

"Sonic, what the hell is wrong with you?" Manic raised an eyebrow. "This isn't normal."

"Does it have something to do with Sarah?" Sunny yawned.

As Sonic paused and stared dead at Sunny, the rest of the household watched with anxiety. Manic swallowed and wrapped his arms protectively around Sunny. "Sonic?"

"I didn't mean to offend you, Sonic, it's just it's rather plain to see that something isn't normal between you two," Sunny whispered. Her ears folded back as she cowered against Manic. "I was only wondering…"

"Sonic?" Silver slowly asked. He was about to get up off the couch and approach the blue hedgehog.

Suddenly, Shadow cleared his throat. "Sonic, whatever happens, I'm sure you'll make an excellent father."

Sonic's blank stare at Sunny turned to a glare at Shadow. The ebony hedgehog smirked as he watched the television.

The blue hero was then bombarded with questions.

~.~

Sonic wasn't the only one pacing.

Back in the bathroom, Sarah wandered in circles - watching as the plush carpet felt soft on her feet. Amy sat on top of the bathroom counter, staring at the wall.

The pregnancy test was on the other side of the counter, and neither of them had dared to look at it yet. The timer on Sarah's phone hadn't gone off yet, either, so that gave the two something to be relieved about.

Amy blinked and got out of her trance of staring at the wall as a thought hit her. Carefully looking at Sarah, Amy bit her bottom lip. "Are...Are you going to tell your parents?"

She kept going in circles. "My mother already knew. Or at least, she was the first person that I told when I was suspicious."

"And?"

"She was furious. And so was my father when she told him. I don't want to call them."

"You should, Sarah. They're your parents." Amy offered a small smile. "They'll turn around eventually."

"That's false hope with these people, Amy." Sarah muttered as she stopped circling. "They hated Sonic to begin with. Right from the very start. But their dislike for me started before then. But I'm still...scared. Frightened even of having my own child. I didn't plan on this. I know I have plenty of people that will help support me, but I just…" she looked away and down at her feet in shame. "I just wished my parents were part of that support group, ya know?"

"What do you mean?"

"They probably won't even bother coming to the wedding anymore. The longer that damn timer takes," she hissed at her phone, " the more I'm positive that something's growing in me. And if it's true, then they definitely won't come to the wedding. They won't accept Sonic at all then, or the baby - hell, they'll probably completely cut me off."

Amy raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why on Earth would you want your parents at your wedding if they'd rather be anywhere else, Sarah?"

She bit her lip. "...They didn't always despise me, you know."

"It's not entirely about Sonic?"

"No. Like I said, it started _before_ Sonic." She shook her head, swallowing roughly. Tears were daring to slide down her cheeks but she wouldn't let them just yet. "My mother used to adore me," she whispered, staring at her clasped hands. "I was an only daughter. Then things happened during the collapse of Mobius and…"

Amy scrutinized her every move. Sarah seemed...frightened. At that moment, Amy felt as if she should be wary of her, too.

 _Although, that's nonsense._ Amy waved it off. _Whatever happened couldn't have been that bad._

Sarah continued slowly, "...I was forced to do something. I had to do something that made my parents fear me - despise me. Treat me like the middle child that I am." She gave a lighthearted laugh.

"What was it?"

Sarah was reluctant. She didn't meet Amy's eye contact - she couldn't. "I haven't told anyone...only my parents and siblings know what happened because they were there. They just don't talk about it. I haven't even told Sonic."

Amy remained curious. She tilted her head and leaned closer to the distressed female. "Sarah, you can trust me."

"I know," Sarah sighed and closed her eyes. She opened them to stare at Amy. "I know. But I don't want the past to haunt me every day. I can't, Amy. I'm sorry."

There was a pause, and the rose hedgehog was half tempted to pressure Sarah into telling the truth. But when Amy looked down at Sarah's shaking hands, she took a step back in her head. Respecting Sarah's decision, Amy only nodded and remained quiet.

Sarah sighed and sat down on the toilet seat's closed lid. There she remained for awhile with her chin resting on the palm of her hand. Glimpsing at Amy, the older hedgehog wondered out loud something that caught Amy by surprise.

"What do you think would have happened if Sonic and I never met? And you showed up here still?"

The rose hedgehog blinked, unsure of what to respond with. Cautiously, she found her hand reaching to her front quill as usual. A habit of being embarrassed or shy. Or put on the spot with a random question. "What?"

"I mean…" Sarah licked her lips and stared at the plush rug. "Do you think you and Sonic would be the ones everyone wanted together?"

"Why would you think about that, Sarah?" Amy whispered with a tone of reprimanding.

Sarah shrugged. "I don't know…You're pretty, Amy. Hell, you have Shadow wrapped around your finger. I didn't see you two together at first. I still don't really see you two together. But if you can win him over, I bet you would have already had Sonic if I wasn't in the picture. If he had remained single, he would've jumped at the opportunity."

Amy narrowed her eyebrows. "Sarah, don't talk like that. Whatever happens, happens for a reason. You met Sonic. And he chose you. Even if you weren't in the picture, I don't think I would fall heads over heels for him like I did in the past. I wasn't mature then. I was a twelve-year-old girl with delusions. A hopeless romantic the first time I saw him. Don't tell me that you were...threatened by me?"

She gave a slight smirk. "Not at all. I just wonder, is all. It would be interesting to know what would have happened, honestly. Perhaps you'd be stuck in some love triangle between Shadow and Sonic. A hopeless romantic's secret dream, no?"

"Not really," Amy frowned and crossed her arms. "I wouldn't want two men fighting over me, personally. Being a hopeless romantic in my way is just wanting to find that one person I love, and being with them for as long as they'll have me. Not two constantly trying to win me over."

"So be honest then. If I wasn't in the picture, would you go with Sonic or Shadow if either of them were interested in you?"

"That's not a fair question. I know Shadow more now than I know Sonic, really. Sonic could've gained more quirks over the years and completely changed. Shadow did, and this version of him is all I can really remember now. I barely recall the Shadow from my past anymore."

Sarah cracked a grin. "So, you'd choose Shadow?"

"Well...I didn't say that," Amy stuttered.

She tugged harder at the quill. She looked towards the door, wondering when the timer would go off. Neither of them dared to look at the test yet. She was beginning to hear voices out in the living room. They were slowly rising - which made Amy wonder if Sonic had let the secret slip. She had figured he might - that or Shadow.

"Let me tell you something, Amy. I don't see you and Shadow together." Sarah turned to Amy with a serious gaze.

Amy bit her tongue and narrowed her eyebrows again. "So? Why should I care what you think about our relationship? You're being like Blaze, right now. She's not a fan either. Personally, it's not either of your decisions."

"You didn't let me finish."

She was caught by surprise and curiosity. Twisting her body towards Sarah, she waited rather patiently. Brown eyes warmly looked up at her.

"I don't see you and Shadow together romantically. Not yet, anyway. But that doesn't mean I don't notice the way you look at him."

Amy blushed and turned her head to stare the carpet. She wasn't that obvious was she?

"Or the way he looks at you now."

This caught her even more by surprise. Amy looked at Sarah for a few seconds before she found herself smiling. "Really?"

It really shouldn't have been that much of a shock to Amy. Shadow was willing to see where their relationship went. He had said so himself - that he wanted to see for himself if they were good for one another. He wanted to be with her, or at least get to know her better in a way that was more than platonic.

Sarah nodded with a genuine look. "You say you want to be with a man for as long as he'll have you. I can't help but think that you're subconsciously thinking of Shadow when you say that. And if I know Shadow, he doesn't do things unless it's for long term. Look at the farm. He's built it up as his home and his work. He's around to stay. And if you're really serious about taking the chance to be with him, Amy, then I just want to to say something."

"What?" Amy found herself already knowing what Sarah was about to say.

The lime green hedgehog gave her a small smile. " _He'll_ be with _you_ for as long as you'll have him."

A certain type of warmth went through Amy at the thought. The more she got to know Shadow and vice versa, the more she found it harder to imagine not waking up next to him. It was an odd thought, really, but it made her genuinely happy.

Suddenly, the phone lit up as the timer beeped. Shakily, Amy shut it off and looked at Sarah next to her.

Amy watched as Sarah's gaze turned into one full of anxiety. With a concerned, cautious glance towards the female, the pink hedgehog got off the counter top. Sarah stood up with her, as the two took in a heavy breath.

Hesitantly, they looked at the pregnancy test.

* * *

 _So it's been awhile. Honestly, I had this chapter halfway done for awhile but then things got in the way for a long time. But I finally got around to it, even when I should be doing other things right now. Chapter 27 is coming along as well. I've been writing to it while editing this one (with the help of MistyVoid48)._

 _I hope you readers enjoyed this chapter and have stuck around - I'm, again, very grateful if you did stick around this long. There's probably some mistakes more near the end of the chapter, but I'm honestly so sick and tired of looking at this chapter, that I can't see any mistakes clearly anymore. It all just sort of blends in together now, lmao._

 _The funeral and party/date thing is going to be done differently, just because this chapter went on longer than I wanted it to, and if I had kept going with my original plan, it would be WAY long. So, yeah. Uh, just know that eventually we will get to the funeral, the date, more Samwell shit and all that jazz._

 _ **Next chapter** especially is focused around Samwell and his gang, so be prepared for that. Also, next chapter might be a more chill chapter with the Sonic group and whatnot, simply because a lot of shit has happened during the story to the point where they don't have a moment to feel like regular fucking beings that hang out. I mean, how much does Silver and Blaze really know about Shadow? Or Sunny knowing anything about the others except for what Manic might've told her? Plus, I feel like I need some comedic relief in this story somewhere - a thing I haven't been doing as much as I did in the old version. So, yeah. That's the new plan, hopefully._

 _Thanks so much readers - and until next chapter, let those positive vibes keep a-flowin'!_

 _Arrivederci!_


	27. The Meeting

**STH © SEGA/Archie**

 **Sarah, Peter, Samwell, Rosemary & the Wilson Family © Cozy Shadow **

**Flame, Petunia, Jeffery, and Sunny © Phantomask**

 **Italicized brands or names (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.**

* * *

 _Don't you love it when someone who takes forever to upload finally uploads? I know I do. Sadly, I follow fanfics which haven't been updated in years, so...I'm still waiting. But here's the next chapter for you guys! Sorry if this beginning stuff seems abrupt to some._

 _Enjoy! Sorry for any editing mistakes, but I mean c'mon. It's fanfiction. While I want to do my best, it's not my entire life. :P_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven:**

 **The Meeting**

Seeing the picture of him with that infamous grin and thumbs up made her heart ache.

It'd been years now, and a part of her couldn't forget what they shared.

The chipmunk set the picture on the counter. She stared at it a little longer, brushing her fingers through her hair subconsciously. Memories would flood back to her every time she saw the picture.

The sound of his laughter. The feel of his touch when they were actually together.

Then the sounds of machines whirring as they blew up. The screams of not just children, but their parents as well. Watching her people die.

Memories that wouldn't ever leave.

Some good. Some nightmares.

Yet despite the years of fighting not only Eggman but herself, the one they used to call Princess was now just an ordinary being.

"Living a boring life," Sally whispered to herself. She reached into one of the many boxes that held her past. There were pictures of her old friends mostly. Nothing of hers from Mobius made it to Earth - so everything she had was relatively new. "Or at least as new as eight years can be."

Living two years with some of the group...hell, she didn't even make it the full two years. After her and Sonic broke up, she went alone. She was the first of the team to go it alone in the big, new world they had to learn to call home.

She traced features of her friends' faces, trying to remember them without pictures. She could never forget though. Sally didn't need the pictures. But sometimes it felt good to come back to the pictures.

Because now people knew her as Ally Scorn.

"But these people...they knew _me_."

"You're having an identity crisis," a voice interrupted her alone time.

"Peter!" Sally exclaimed, dropping the picture to the kitchen counter and turning to the open doorway. Her boyfriend stood with a small, understanding smile on his muzzle. "What are you doing? I thought you left for guy's night."

"I saw you went to the closet," the familiar cat sauntered towards her, "and I couldn't help but wonder."

Turning back around, she gave him a weak grin in return as he approached her from behind. Warm arms embraced her. Sally closed her eyes and leaned against his chest in comfort. She hummed softly as he kissed her temple.

"Are you okay?" he whispered.

Sally was grateful for Peter Worthington - she truly was. He had shown up in her life at a time she didn't know that she needed him. The moment she let her walls down though, was the moment that she decided Peter could stay for as long as he wanted.

He understood her past and he understood her wants for her future. Peter knew when not to touch on sensitive subjects. He knew when Sally just needed to be Sally rather than someone else.

"I'm fine. Just...thinking."

"Need someone to talk to?" The cat twisted her around to face him before wrapping his arms around her waist again. "I'm a great listener, so I'm told."

"Hm," she hummed again, but this time in humor. "Are you now?"

"Surprising, I know." His tail twitched a little in playfulness. His green eyes warm with only what Sally could call love.

She gripped his arms as a post to lean against. "I'm fine. Just had to look at them again." Her eyes avoided his gaze. "Another time…"

"You know you can always call them -"

"No."

She immediately ripped herself out of his grasp. Wrapping her arms around herself, Sally's ears folded back. "I can't, Peter."

A certain blue hedgehog flashed before her eyes. She couldn't fathom talking to him now - not when he was moving on as well. They were both moving on. It'd been _years_.

Peter grabbed her shoulder gently and leaned down a little to look into her eyes. "You wouldn't be the only one to walk back into their lives."

She narrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Amy Rose returned. I met her. She really is a wonderful person."

Sally nodded in agreement, but remained quiet until she gained the courage to ask the question that was on her mind. "Was she at the school with... _her_?"

"Yeah. She was helping. You know how messy kids and crafts can be," Peter chuckled but Sally remained stoic. "...I think you should at least greet yourself."

"Peter, that's a terrible idea. Sonic doesn't want me around. I broke his heart. If I walked back into their life right now, who knows what would happen. Sonic would be angry. His girlfriend would probably want to murder me."

"Fiancé."

"What?" Sally nearly lost her breath.

"They're getting married," Peter replied. "And it seems like Amy might be sticking around longer than she planned."

"What do you mean?" she repeated herself - questions forming in her head quickly.

"It seems Amy's taken a liking to Shadow."

That caught her off guard. " _Amy_? And _Shadow_?"

"Hmhm."

"And Shadow...likes her?" Sally raised an eyebrow in confusion. "See this is exactly why we shouldn't get involved with their lives. They're moving on and so are we."

"We?" Peter snorted. "I wasn't the one that was a part of their group. _You_ were. Sally, can't you face the fact that you _miss_ them?" He gritted his teeth and stepped back. "Why can't you just own up to it? We live only an hour away from them - you could just drive up there and say hi - "

"I can't! I can't do that, Peter!" Sally hissed at him. "Don't you get it? I can't be apart of their lives anymore. I can't be apart of _his_ life anymore. He never wanted to see me again - _those_ were his last words. And I've given him what he wants. To walk back into his life would be like betraying a friend - betraying him."

"That's bullshit and you know it. You're just scared."

She couldn't find the words that would convince Peter what she said was true. That would convince _her_ what she said was true. Maybe he was right. So what? She didn't have to waltz back into their lives.

"I don't want to, Peter. It's not...It's not who I am anymore."

"Then who are you?" He challenged, flicking his tail.

The cramped kitchen of their apartment was making her uncomfortable. She just wanted him to leave. She just wanted to be in quiet.

"You tell me," Sally whispered, brushing shoulders with him as she left the room.

Peter frowned, not quite knowing how to answer that. He let her go, though. Deep down, he knew she needed some time to move on silently some days. For the most part, she was fine. But there were the few days that she needed to be reminded of her past.

 _Some days, she loses herself. Becomes Ally Scorn and forgets who she really is. I just think being around them would help her accept that she is Sally still. And she always will be. To them. To me._

The feline gritted his teeth, checking his watch. He would be late if he didn't leave soon.

"A guy's night," Peter scoffed and shook his head. The cat turned towards the doorway and grabbed his coat and keys along the way.

Sally wasn't the only one lying to the world about who she was.

* * *

The small house in the neighborhood was quiet for the most part. Some snow barely covered the lawn as most of it was mush and mud now. The porch light flickered.

Sonia rubbed her eyes tiredly as she finished the dishes. The dishes that should've been done yesterday since her husband was home all day long. She frowned, keeping her brain occupied with thoughts full of other things than her mother.

 _I can't believe Flame didn't do the dishes. He said he would, three times yesterday. Then this morning. And he barely looks after the kids. I come home and Petunia is coloring on the walls and Jeffery needs his diaper changed. Meanwhile, Flame is sleeping on the couch._

Her frown deepened.

 _I remember when Mom was healthier. Not quite herself and we knew she couldn't live on this planet. But even then, she warned me about Flame. She said he looked like the type who was beyond lazy. I should've listened to her. Sometimes, I'm not sure I want to be married to him anymore. But he always somehow drags me back in._

Suddenly arms wrapped around her waist, and her back rested against her husband's chest. Flame towered over her, having to slump even more than usual to nestle into his mate's neck. He kissed her shoulder apologetically. "I was gonna do those."

"You say that every time they're mentioned," Sonia snipped. "Just like the laundry. The garden and lawn in the summer. Cleaning the house - pfft. You wouldn't dare," she sarcastically mumbled.

The orange hedgehog didn't like her tone. He scowled as he backed off from her. "Sonia, I'm sorry. I've been busy."

"Doing what? Watching your latest soap opera?" Sonia scoffed.

His ears pinned back against his head, and his gaze turned to the floor. "Just because I like watching dramas doesn't mean you can make fun of me for it every waking moment…"

"Flame, I'm serious," Sonia turned around to stare at her lazy significant other. "You keep saying you're looking for a job. You apply to jobs. You ruin it by hypnotizing them for no reason. Just because you lack a high school education doesn't necessarily mean no one will hire you. But they certainly won't when they come to the conclusion that you've used your power on them."

"If I didn't have to label powers in my resume," Flame muttered.

" _Flame."_

He locked eyes with her - understanding that the anger in her eyes was completely directed at him. He knew he wasn't making anything easy for her, not with her mother's death still fresh on their minds. It would be a long while before things went back to normal.

Flame gritted his teeth. _And nothing will be normal if_ he _decides to go with this plan of his. I've got to make up an excuse to leave again, though. She gets suspicious when I leave for the meetings, but they're mandatory. I have to know when Samwell might attack - at least to protect my family._

The tall male remained quiet as his wife rambled, slowly raising her voice as she picked at all of his flaws. All the flaws he fed her, just to make this excuse. Just to make them argue so he could have an excuse to leave.

Flame didn't like doing it. He loved Sonia, but Samwell Turner was a madman. And Flame knew that if Samwell wanted, he would go right ahead with hurting Sonia. Or worse, the kids. And Flame wasn't about to have that happen. Not if he could make it seem like Sonia wasn't a threat. Not if he could fool Samwell into thinking he was still on the bat's side.

"Get out."

His train of thought was interrupted by words he had never heard out of her mouth. Usually, she left the room after letting her emotions out. But he hadn't noticed that within his thoughts, Sonia had started to cry.

She noticed he wasn't paying attention. He was off in his own world, and he always would be. At least to her, that's what it looked like.

"What?" Flame breathlessly whispered, wondering if he suddenly screwed himself over. If Sonia broke up with him, Samwell wouldn't think twice about being merciless to Sonia and the kids. He would just get rid of them. Say it would help Flame get over them.

"Get out." Sonia let the tears run down her face. "I'm tired of this. I'm tired of you not doing anything - barely being apart of this family. I'm tired of us always arguing. I'm tired of sleeping by myself at night because you leave to God knows where. I'm tired of it, and if I can help it, I'll just choose to sleep by myself permanently. Or at least not with _you_."

Flame's quills quivered at the thought of another man being with her. Touching _his_ mate. He lowly growled at the haunting image. "Sonia, stop. You're just overwhelmed with everything. Look, I got a night-shift job, alright?"

"Bullshit," Sonia shook her head.

"I'm serious. Where do you think I've gotten the money I've put into our account then, huh?"

"You said your brother was helping you out."

"I lied," Flame confessed. He wasn't going to tell her the full truth. He was just going to make sure she stayed with him - safe so Samwell didn't hurt her or the kids. "I don't have a brother."

"But Kyle - we just stayed with him during Valentine's Day," Sonia slowly shook her head back and forth. The news was sinking in - and it was that her husband was lying to her. "Who is he then?"

"Just a friend," Flame nearly stuttered. "He's like a brother, is all. We were being figurative, Sonia. I thought you knew," he continued to lie.

He was lying straight through his teeth. He was lying to his _wife._ Flame kept telling himself it was for the better. Because it really was - he couldn't just hypnotize her and make her stay. He had to think of other ways to keep his family safe and near him so he could keep an eye on them. It was harder than he thought, however.

And he most certainly couldn't tell her that all of his family was dead. The only "family" of his that she thought she knew were Samwell's workers posing as Flame's family. It was only like a check-up really. For Samwell to make sure that Flame wasn't about to run out on him and his psychotic plan.

"W-Why would...Why would you lie about something like that?" Sonia was now confused and wary. She cautiously backed away from the male. Her actions didn't go unnoticed.

Flame almost didn't want to leave for the meeting now.

She was becoming scared of him - unsure. If she caught on and he told her about his real job of working for a murderer, she would leave him and take his kids. The kids he loved and cherished because they shouldn't have existed. They had such a low chance of existing, and yet they did. Flame spent every moment he could with them. She couldn't take them away from him.

But Sonia was thinking about it, and Flame knew that.

Lowly snarling, Flame approached her slowly. "Don't back away from me, Sonia. I'm not going anywhere, and we're not just giving up."

"Why did you lie?" she raised her voice but obliged to his demand. She halted in her footsteps, now glaring at the Mobian.

"It's...a temporary job, I wasn't getting my hopes up for keeping it," he continued to fib. It'd been his job for years. Before he even met Sonia. Hell, Samwell was the only reason Flame met Sonia. It was just supposed to be a job back then, though. "I've been looking for other jobs in the meantime."

He got closer until he was holding her hands. Softly, Flame looked down at her. He watched her every move, noticing how skeptical she looked.

"Just...please, don't worry about it. I promise I'm not doing anything illegal."

Lie. He had murdered people, too. Innocent lives, but only because Samwell would have killed his family if he hadn't followed the orders.

"Then what is it?" Sonia scowled. Her nose scrunched up.

Flame didn't answer her. Instead, he caught her off guard with a kiss. She pulled back with a noise of dislike. He nuzzled into her neck and wrapped his arms around her, holding her firmly to him. "Please, Sonia. Don't leave," he whispered to her.

Because if she did leave, he'd never see her or his kids again. Samwell would know she left him.

And the bat would do what he did best.

Kill for the thrill of it.

* * *

It was midnight when he pulled up in front of the warehouse. The bugs buzzed around the only light on the outside of the building.

Carefully, Peter stepped inside and looked at the scene in front of him.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH MY BROWNIES, WOMAN!"

The badger was being held back by the only muscle of the group that could handle the job: a bear named Westley Garnet. The badger was Charles Lowell, and he was currently screaming at the top of his lungs. His brown eyes glared daggers towards a maroon wolf who stood smugly in front of him.

Peter remained at the front door - not particularly wanting to join the argument.

However, a marmoset stopped short and grinned at him. "Peter! Luna and I were almost thinking you'd never come."

The feline gave a soft smile as he came out of the shadows. Peter Worthington. During the day, he was a kindergarten teacher, but during the night, he realized he was in the same boat as the rest of these crooks that surrounded him.

Except Edmund Davies and Luna Grenville weren't too terrible. They understood machines, just like Peter, only not to the same extent. They were both excellent hackers for the team, but it was Peter Worthington that Samwell wanted most to bring up dirty info on the Sonic Heroes.

And tonight Peter was skeptical to share newly found information. He paused before saying anything, wondering where Samwell was. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. We haven't had a full blown meeting with everyone in a long time. What's the occasion?"

"Don't know," Edmund shrugged. The grey Mobian pushed up his glasses. "We're moving to a new location though. Samwell wants you to join us."

"Team A?" Peter touched his chest to gesture to him. "I'm flattered, truly."

"Oh, don't think so highly of yourself." A seductive voice that laced him in cut through the air. Peter turned to the maroon wolf. She gave him a smirk as her dazzling green eyes put him in a trance. "Nice to see you around, _Pet_. I was beginning to wonder where Samwell had put you."

He gave her a thin smile in return. "As much as I love the nicknames, Margaret, it's _Peter_. And we'll keep it that way, hm?" He raised an eyebrow as if to challenge her.

She merely flicked her tail and stared back at the badger. "Don't get your panties in a twist, Charles. Those brownies had mold on them. I threw them out."

"YOU THREW THEM OUT?! WERE YOU RAISED IN A BARN, YOU PSYCHOTIC BITCH?!"

Peter shook his head and grinned at the two. Glancing around, he saw the cheetah he'd been friends with for quite some time. Walking up to her, Peter purred. "Luna."

"Oh!" She turned with a jolt. "Peter! I didn't see you there. How are you?"

"Fine. You?"

"Busy. Samwell's putting us to a new location. Did you hear?"

"Just barely. From Edmund."

"We're hoping you'll join Team A," she softly whispered. Normally the cheetah wasn't shy, but the feline in front of her brought butterflies to her stomach. "Samwell says it's only a matter of time now. Before we each get what we want."

Peter wasn't fond of hearing the last part.

He frowned a little. But gazed into her soft violet eyes. "And what do you want, Luna? Is this really worth it?"

The cheetah wasn't expecting such a question. To question Samwell was to accept death as a penalty. "Um...Well...We all have our reasons, Peter. Don't you?"

Peter gritted his teeth, as the only thing to flash in his head was one thing: his girlfriend.

Sally Acorn.

The one Samwell had ordered him to spy on. The girl that Peter tried so hard to talk to, yet it took forever to break her shell. She wanted to remain secret from the world as she had been a Princess. But when she finally had let him in, it was more than Peter had expected. And he found himself not wanting to lose that.

And Sarah.

Now Sarah would be brought into this no doubt. That crazed snake that wanted Sonic to feel the pain that he had felt would hunt Sarah down when he heard the news Peter brought. The feline wasn't sure if he wanted to suddenly risk his friend's life.

They worked together for Christ's sake. It was all accidental, but when Samwell found out that Peter was working with the same Sarah that was dating Sonic the Hedgehog, Peter was ordered to watch her every move as well. It wasn't something he wanted to do. Especially since he had become such good friends with Sarah.

It hurt him to think that every time he rolled over and saw Sally smiling at him, he was only doing so because Sam controlled his life. That any time he said good morning to Sarah at school, Samwell knew.

 _And then I was introduced to Sonic and Shadow. And oh, God._

 _If I could take back anything, it would be meeting Samwell Turner in college. It would be telling him that I had debt from school. That I got most of my money from counting at blackjack. That I could tell when the next slot machine was going to be a big winner. That I could touch any electronic device and know exactly what was wrong with it - know exactly the data that was in it._

 _That I could read it like a book._

 _These people - these crooks that I've known for a long time...they're my friends. And I'm ashamed and guilty to call myself a thief. But how am I supposed to tell Samwell that I quit?_

 _That I can't do this anymore because I love Sally? And I don't want to end up like..._ him. _Not his situation. Not even Scourge's situation. Neither of those two - no. I don't want to end up like them. I want to get out alive, but how am I supposed to do that now that Samwell wants me to join Team A? It's his main fucking team. He has eyes on them at all time - they're his most valuable people._

 _If I quit now, he'll not only kill me but he'll start by killing Sally. It'll be a message to not only any people under him that are questioning his actions, but it'll be a message to Sonic and the others._

Peter stared at the cement floor. _So I either bow my head down for a little longer before I come up with a plan, or I die._

A door slammed, and Peter noticed the room had become crowded with over fifty Mobians. All with a look of craziness in their eyes. Some with powers and some without. But all their eyes glued to the man in charge.

Samwell Turner.

 _And I really don't want to die._

The bat stood next to a snake, Jasper Williams. Peter's spine shivered whenever he made eye contact with the icy blue eyes of the reptile. Samwell Turner was a killer. But Jasper...Well, no one in the warehouse - not even Samwell - was about to mess with him. He wasn't sane in their eyes, yet he kept himself composed nicely.

"Is everyone accounted for?" Sam's voice rose above all the chatter, and things turned eerily silent.

Peter caught a glimpse of Scourge in the crowd. Luna had left sometime ago. The feline inched his way towards the green hedgehog. Scourge wasn't someone he could stand, but Peter knew that Scourge wanted to get out while he still could. That was, if he ever could.

"Nah - lover boy ain't here yet!" Charles hollered from somewhere in the back.

There were plenty of unfamiliar faces to Peter. It made him wonder how many more people Samwell had recruited over the last few months. Hell, even weeks since Amy Rose arrived.

After the badger's outburst, the outside door opened and shut as if on cue. Bright orange quills stuck out of the crowd with alert ears as the tall Mobian made his way through the crowd.

Peter could see many eyes on the late member, including Samwell. And all of them knew why.

"Flame. How nice of you to join us."

The hedgehog stopped short and stared at their leader.

Peter swallowed heavily - unsure of what Flame was thinking every time he looked at Samwell. Apparently, Flame knew Samwell during the fall of Mobius. Well, that was what the hedgehog had told Peter on the rare opportunity that they talked. The cat was cautious around Flame. Something about him made Peter wary, and he wasn't sure why until the sick grin flashed across Flame's muzzle.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Sammy."

As the bat gave Flame a returning grin that shouted murderer, Peter shrunk back. He wasn't quite all the way to Scourge, but he figured he didn't need to be. He didn't know Scourge. He didn't know Flame. Yet just when he thought they were all in the same boat as in him, Peter was questioning even that part of them.

"I've summoned all of you here tonight for a very special reason," Samwell started his speech.

Peter glanced at Flame, but saw that the hedgehog was no longer there. Suddenly, there was a looming presence beside him, and a tall figure brushed against his arm. Peter didn't look to his left as he suddenly exhaled in relief.

Flame wasn't crazy. He was faking just like Peter - they were both pretending to be as mad as the rest of these crooks just to stay alive.

The orange hedgehog stood beside the feline. Peter took a glimpse at him and noticed the slight fear in Flame's eyes. The eyes that normally looked like fire blazing now lost that spark. Peter wondered what happened.

"As many of you have agreed to be a part of this - a part of our blossoming business - you all have a mission in this life. A mission to get revenge on the ones who call themselves heroes. The ones who took our lives from us by taking those we loved," Samwell's voice cut Peter's train of thought.

Flame was listening intently, too. He looked at Scourge and noticed him staring out of his peripheral very shortly. Flame sensed that he should stick beside the cat named Peter. He worked with Sarah, but he was also dating Sally Acorn. And Flame figured that Peter might be a similar situation as he was with Sonia.

 _Perhaps we can talk after this. And maybe even with Scourge._

The orange hedgehog knew little about Scourge, but he knew the hedgehog wasn't there willingly. All of the workers knew that by now. Ever since Samwell...Flame shuddered at the memory of Scourge coming into the warehouse with murder his eyes. He would've gotten away with it too, if Jasper hadn't shown up.

 _Whatever Samwell did to Scourge's daughter...I don't want that happening to my kids. But if I want to get out this...then I need to think of something that won't get me or my family killed. And the more I think of it...bringing in Sonic and the others doesn't sound like a crazy idea. Warning them about Samwell could save them. But telling them that I work for him could cost me my family._

Flame frowned at the thought. _And this is why I need to talk to Peter. See if he's truly in on Samwell's plan. If he agrees that doing this to Sonic and the others is really worth it. Peter, as far as I know, isn't here for revenge. But if he's not here for revenge...then what is he here for? And Scourge. He wants out, too. He's just stuck because Samwell's already tortured his family. We're all stuck in the same fucking pit, and it's about time we dragged ourselves out and bury Samwell in it._

He was tired of the black bat walking over him. He wanted his family and his freedom. And he was going to get it.

Suddenly, Samwell's talking came back into Flame's focus. The bat was talking, but he had tuned him out while thinking for a second. And now, he wished he hadn't. The words that came out of Samwell's mouth made Flame's quills quiver.

"We're going to disposes of the Sonic Heroes once and for all."

There were hollers and hoots from the crowd. Flame and Peter shared fearful glances. The time for revenge was coming quicker than they anticipated - but why?

"It's come to my attention that Sonic the Hedgehog is about to get hitched," Samwell scoffed, standing tall and proud in front of his lackeys. "And one of the guests for this wedding suggested every one of the Sonic Heroes should come to the wedding."

At this point, Flame and Peter were staring at Scourge. All three knew immediately how deep they were in now. That this time, Samwell wasn't just saying shit to inspire the workers to stay. Samwell was being _serious_ this time.

"Thanks to dear Amy Rose, they're all coming to the wedding. And what we've been preparing for is about to finally happen." Samwell gave them a twisted smile that only an evil person could have. "I've gathered a selected few to start our plan that will bring the so-called heroes straight to us. And the rest of you will finally get what you've waited for." His cold eyes searched the room as his employees cheered for the moment they'd finally get their revenge.

Flame and Peter were too busy staring up at Samwell as if they were ultimately fucked. And in a way, they were - if they didn't play their cards right.

"We need to talk," a low voice whispered to them.

Turning their heads, they saw another pair of blue eyes. But these ones weren't as cold. Weren't as cruel. Scourge stood beside them for a moment to make sure they had heard what he said. When they both nodded in understanding, he vanished into the celebrating crowd.

Samwell didn't notice a thing. Instead, he watched the murderers in front of him, all following his every command, celebrating him and his plan. They were completely oblivious to what their future truly held, and Samwell loved every second of it.

He glanced at Jasper. The snake twitched his tail before sending Samwell a sideways look. They were both in agreement.

They didn't need this many men to kill the heroes. They only needed the selected few.

* * *

He hopped outside of the warehouse for a smoke.

It'd been awhile, since his wife had practically thrown all of his cigarettes out, but Scourge couldn't blame her. It was a terrible habit, and he didn't do it around her or their daughter. Still, a habit was hard to break.

 _I can name another thing that's hard to break. Working for Sam. Hell, I don't even get paid. Rosy's going to chew my ear off if I don't get a job soon. A paying job that doesn't involve giving information away about Sonic or killing innocent people._

He sat down on the cement steps of the warehouse. It was the back of the warehouse, and all it led to was an empty, dead field. There were trees half a mile away. The warehouse was soon to be demolished. Hence why Samwell had gotten a new headquarters.

Scourge scoffed, tugging on the collar of his leather jacket. It was chilly outside. But damn, the cigarette was nice after two weeks without. He had been doing so well, too.

 _What would Rosy say?_ He made a snide comment in his head about what she would say - her tone of voice whenever she started nagging. Again, he couldn't blame her. She was moodier than usual but that was just the baby.

She'd been that way, too, when she was pregnant with Rosemary. Now another child.

Scourge exhaled shakily, letting the cigarette rest between his two fingers.

 _Another child. This is why I need to get away from Samwell. She's close to showing, too. He's going to find out sooner or later. And then he's going to pin me here even longer, damnit._

 _But I can't let this happen. I've got to do something._ He put his head in his hands, being mindful of the cigarette. He breathed in deeply. _But what that something is - it might be crazy. But Sonic and Shadow could help. No matter how much they might hate me. I know they know about Samwell. They could help…_

 _After all, they are the ones Samwell wants. They're going to be face-to-face with him eventually. But Samwell's the least of their problems. He doesn't have powers. Not one. But Team A does. His main team - the ones he's setting out to initiate the plan. How these other workers fit in, I don't know. But then they have to worry about Jasper._

His fingers shook at the thought of the snake. _They don't know about him. Or his sadistic ways. He's worse than Sam. And what makes him even more of a threat is that he does have a power. Or at least that's the rumor._

"Scourge?"

The male opened his eyes and lifted his head up. He looked up and to his left to see Flame and Peter. Flame shut the warehouse door as Peter took the spot to his right. Flame sat down next to his left. The trio remained silent for a few seconds.

"This is crazy. He's crazy - what the hell is he trying to prove?" Flame finally broke the silence with his whispered questions.

Scourge scoffed. "Beats me. You know him better than I do."

"I owed him my life. He saved me from dying in that portal mess. But he lost his family because of it, too," Flame answered his own question but still seemed confused. "I knew him to be kind then. He wasn't completely lost. Until we got to Earth, and then he went batshit crazy. Filled with ideas of killing Tails." Flame shook his head. "It was terrible."

"You stuck with him?" Peter whispered in disbelief. "But why? He saved your life, so what? Everyone was dying then. Just say thanks and move on."

"I should've...But I didn't. He tried to convince me that what the heroes did was terrible. And I was starting to believe him…"

Scourge raised his eyebrow at Flame. "I never thought you'd be one to join him."

"Neither did I. But I was lost. I didn't have anymore family. He didn't either. So we stuck together, and he got it into my head that Tails was some sort of monster. He was just a kid at the time. A kid they all expected to be some hero with no flaws. I didn't realize what Sam was scheming until it was too late to change his mind. And by then, I jumped aboard willingly."

"You know him best," Peter questioned. "So why don't you just try to talk some sense into him? I mean, you also know Tails well, too."

"Only because of Sonia…" Flame was twisting his wedding ring around his finger.

Peter watched and stared at both of their left hands. Scourge actually wore a wedding ring. Peter was rather surprised, but he couldn't help but think about the fact that they weren't just trying to keep their mates safe. They had children.

Peter only had Sally. But he was bound and determined to keep her.

 _Unless all of this blows up in my face and she dumps me. Which, I won't blame her if she does…_

"Samwell's the least of our worries," Peter softly said. He hadn't told Samwell whether or not he'd join Team A yet. And he hadn't told him the information he gathered. He wondered if it was real or not.

Flame's interest was caught as soon as he saw Peter's worried look. Scourge was all ears as well.

"Despite being given the _task_ to watch over Sally, Samwell gave me the job to run their computers and everything electronic they touch. Things such as their cellphones and whatnot."

"You have that access?" Scourge was suddenly confused. This scrawny feline had that much important information on Sonic and the other heroes - and Samwell let him?

"Yeah, you can do all that?" The orange hedgehog was also befuddled, as such a thing didn't make much sense to him.

"I know your wife is buying an insane amount of loofahs for some reason."

Flame's ears fell back against his head. "Jeffery likes to tear them apart…" he trailed off as Peter waved the situation away.

"Look...today, I had to look over it just like usual. Made sure they didn't go anywhere - I found out they went to town today."

"Yeah, Sonia said something about Sonic being in town for funeral attire or something," Flame narrowed his eyebrows. "You have the info from their credit cards, then? You follow them through that?"

Peter nodded. "And something tells me that that wasn't all that Sonic was in town for."

"What do you mean?" Scourge propped his elbows on his knees. He had forgotten about the cigarette miraculously.

"Look besides being able to touch an electronic thing and hacking into it immediately, I do know how to do those sorts of things without my power. Like Flame said - I have access to their credit and debit cards. Anytime they swipe them, Samwell figures it out from my reports."

"So, what did you find?" Flame pressed with annoyance.

"Pregnancy tests under Sonic's credit card."

There was a long pause.

Flame's mouth was gaping in shock. Scourge finally put his cigarette back in his mouth as his eyebrows lifted in surprise. Peter licked in his dry lips and shifted on the cement stairs.

"If Samwell finds out that Sarah might be pregnant, then he'll tell Jasper. The guy gives me the creeps. And considering it's Sonic that Jasper wants to kill, that means he'll go after Sarah to get to Sonic. Just to make Sonic's life hell."

"Not to mention Jasper might attack sooner if he finds out about it," Scourge whispered.

Peter's eyes widened. "Shit...I hadn't thought of that."

"I have no doubt in my mind that Jasper's going to jump the gun and take Sarah right from under Sonic. Make Sonic tear the town apart just to find her. Jasper likes to play games like that. Always did and always will."

"But I wonder...with Sam interested in Amy's whereabouts…" Peter furrowed his eyebrows. "He asked me several days ago to keep tabs on her. And he told me more than once - as if I'd forgotten. He was interested. Now I wonder if Sarah goes missing…"

"Perhaps Amy might, too," Flame finished.

"Shit. What the hell do we tell Sonic?" Scourge exhaled, letting the smoke float in the air.

"Do we tell them anything?" Peter shook his head. "If we tell them, they won't trust us. So, who knows if they'll believe us."

"Sonia is my family - she and my children are the only people I care about," Flame hissed suddenly. "But right now I can't protect them. And it kills me. But Sonic and Shadow can - but they don't know what's going on and we do. Peter, telling them might be the only way."

"Then you tell him. Risk losing their trust," Peter snapped back. "But I'm not losing Sally."

"The more you two bicker about it, the less you'll have to worry about it. Samwell will find out if we tell Sonic. And he'll kill the people you're trying to protect. Trust me. I know," Scourge solemnly spoke, causing the other two to grow silent.

They were reminded about Scourge's daughter. But neither really knew what happened.

"What did Sam do, Scourge?" Flame swallowed in fear. He didn't really want to know, but at the same time he wanted to know what they were up against. "When you tried to revolt?"

Scourge flinched at the question - no. He flinched at the memory the question inflicted. He cleared his throat and looked down at the ground.

"When I ran into Rosy, I was working for Samwell already. I didn't expect her to be sane. She said something about the portal curing her. At first, it didn't seem like Rosy. But it was her. And the more I got involved with her, the more I couldn't leave her. But the more I did Sam's dirty work and revealed things about Sonic, the more it became clear to me that I was stuck there. But I always tried to seem like my own boss."

"Until you tried to leave."

"Until I tried to leave…" Scourge clasped his hands together, still keeping hold of the cigarette. "Rosemary was only a year old. I was trying so desperately keep the two away from him. But he found us. Found them. I tried to leave this whole mess - I told him after I finished the last job I was assigned, that I was leaving. He went to our house that night while I was away. I should've been more careful. I should have seen it coming.

"Rosy was asleep. She never heard a thing. At one point, Samwell told me he thought about killing her. Thought about slicing her throat while she slept. But he decided to give me only a little warning. A little warning on a little being," he gritted his teeth as he quoted the bat. "She'll always have that scar now. But at least it's not noticeable…"

"He's taking advantage of our relationships to bend us at his will," Flame muttered. "Sick bastard. This is why we can't leave. Or at least not me. I can't have that happen to my family. It's not something I'm willing to risk. They're not my lives to gamble, but they're mine to protect."

Scourge shook his head slowly. "Get out while you can, you two."

"I can't," Peter whispered in fright. "If I just leave and don't give him my report, he'll know. And he'll send someone after me and Sally. I can't run forever. I've never been good at it."

"And I can't either. I want to, but it's not possible right now." Flame leaned back and looked into the darkness. It was probably early morning by now. "I have an errand to run for him soon."

The trio remained where they were for another ten minutes. Before one by one, they left the warehouse and went home to their families.

But not without watching eyes following their every move.

* * *

The morning came quickly for Sonic.

Or perhaps it was due to the fact that he woke up early. The blue hedgehog twisted in the bed to prop himself up via his elbows.

His eyes were drooping tiredly, but it was probably from the lack of sleep he had last night.

 _How can I sleep? There's something actually growing inside of Sarah._

Sonic glanced over at his sleeping mate. She was doing better. She had only gotten up once last night. He wasn't about to wake her up just yet - as the household had kept her up with an infinite amount of questions.

 _Shadow just had to let it slip._ Sonic glared at the wall, thinking about last night.

He sighed, knowing it wasn't something they could hide forever. The feeling of possibly being a father was dwelling. Sonic wasn't about to get his hopes up too high. He knew miscarriages were common - his sister had gone through them.

 _And Sarah's always stressed. And Samwell...If Shadow thinks something is happening and Silver does, too, it could mean trouble. Sarah has to stay safe. I'm not going to let him hurt her._

Shadow had wanted to find where Scourge lived - which meant Shadow wanted to get involved with whatever the hell Samwell was doing. The thought made Sonic more tense.

 _Does Shadow really know what he's up against? We know nothing about Samwell. But maybe finding Scourge could give us some answers. Still...Sarah._

He stared at her sleeping form again. _Things aren't safe for her now. It's not going to be healthy for her or the baby._

The more Sonic thought of it, the more he couldn't get his mind off the thought that she might lose the baby. It was something he couldn't stop thinking about, which worried him. He just hoped it wasn't a sign.

 _No. We're just going to be delicate with her and keep her safe. If Shadow really wants to get involved with this whole Samwell thing, it had better been for a good reason. But for now, I'm not going to think about her losing the baby. But it's still early...any natural causes won't be too upsetting compared to if Samwell were the cause of it._

The thought made him growl lowly. Sarah mumbled something under her breath, giving it away that was she awake.

Sonic immediately scooted over towards her and wrapped his arms around her. Nuzzling into the crook of her neck, Sonic purred to calm her. He sensed she was anxious about something.

 _Probably the positive test results. Which reminds me…_

"You should probably set up an appointment with a doctor just to make sure," he mumbled into her fur.

She only hiccuped in response.

Sonic smiled lightly and kissed her neck. "How are you feeling?"

Another hiccup.

"Do you need some water?"

…

She was trying to hold the hiccup in, but she failed miserably as she hiccuped yet again. Sarah let out a little laugh as Sonic smirked. Her smile faded as she opened her eyes. "Amy convinced me to call my parents...Or, she suggested it. And I think I'm going. Just to get it over with."

"Are you sure? They might not even show up to the wedding if you do." Sonic understood her parents' dislike for him. Or at least, he sort of did.

Sarah shrugged. "I didn't want my sorry excuse of a father to walk me down the aisle anyway."

She shut her eyes again and curled up into a ball. A clear indication that she was going to catch a few more z's.

Sonic tilted his head however in curiosity. "Then who would you want to walk you down the aisle?"

There was silence for a moment or two.

"Shadow's good enough. We have to make sure he goes anyway, what better way than to rope him into walking me down the aisle?"

Sonic smirked again and went back into snuggling with her. He found himself mentally laughing at the image.

"Yeah. He totally wouldn't be uncomfortable being looked at by more than five people."

* * *

Shadow was having a morning.

And Amy could tell.

She hadn't helped him with the chores in a while. Instead, she had been making breakfast with Blaze, who seemed rather calm and quiet. But when Shadow came in, pounding his feet more than usual, it was clear the bolshie hedgehog wasn't in a good mood.

Amy pursed her lips and tried to read the male. He sat down at the kitchen table and looked at the newspaper that Silver was reading. His red eyes weren't very happy looking.

"Are you okay?" Amy whispered to him as she handed him a glass of orange juice. That would cheer him up - orange juice over coffee always cheered him up.

Shadow only took the glass and nodded curtly. He huffed and turned away.

"Shadow?" she continued to annoy him. She wasn't going to leave until he told her what was eating at him.

"Nothing. It's absolutely _nothing_."

Silver put down the newspaper and stared at Shadow with confusion. "Doesn't sound like nothing."

Shadow scoffed. "How would you like to wake up early in the morning and find all the calves out of the pen? Or that _someone_ put the milk formula back where it wasn't supposed to go so I spent ten minutes looking for it after gathering the calves back up. And then they got out _again_."

"Maybe you need a better pen."

" _Maybe you need a better pen_ ," Shadow mocked.

At this point Sonic and Sarah walked into the kitchen to see the pouting Ultimate Life Form. It wasn't an entirely new look for him. They had seen it before. When anything went wrong on the farm, Shadow liked to blame anyone or anything but himself.

"Someone put the milk formula where it didn't belong?" Sonic questioned, knowing the answer already. "I had Manic and Sunny do it last night while you checked the horses in the field. Shadow, it's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal. A big deal would be the calves getting out and it's not like they did - oh, wait." Shadow glared the blue blur. "You bring people here and this is what happens. My farm goes to shit."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "The calves keep getting out because _you_ refuse to fix the one side of the calf pen that has a loose board. They just squeeze right out whenever they want. That has nothing to do with how many people are in this house."

" _My_ house."

She put her hands on her hips. "Shadow, don't you think you're milking this situation a little too much? It's not the end of the world, and it's not like you haven't had issues before. The swather you first got hasn't worked in months. And you blame it on the mechanic," she pointed to Sonic, "but perhaps it's because you won't listen to said mechanic when he says you need to buy a new filter."

"I'm not doing that," Shadow snapped back. "It doesn't need new anything. It's perfectly fine the way it is. Sonic just doesn't know what he's doing."

"I even had Tails look at it, you big baby. Even he agreed that your blades needed to be replaced. And not to mention the belt."

"How old are your machines you got around here, Shadow?" Silver posed the question as nicely as possible, trying to get the poor guy into a better mood.

Shadow grumbled under his breath.

The cobalt hedgehog snorted and sat down beside Silver. "Everything but the combine is ancient. The Wilson's gave everything to Shadow at first for rent until he could afford them for the cheapest price they were worth."

"Wouldn't that take longer than four years to gather all that money? Farm equipment is expensive," Silver noted.

"How the hell do you know that?" Shadow popped back into the conversation.

"Because I just know things, Shadow. Doesn't take a rocket scientist."

The ebony hedgehog growled again stubbornly and glanced away. Amy shook her head and gave him a soft smile before returning to the stove. Blaze had been watching the food, but she seemed more interested in the conversation now.

"They gave him discounts probably. That and Shadow does have money," Sonic replied, leaning back in the chair. Sarah sat beside him, being across Shadow now who always sat at the head of the table. "The government wanted to keep us all out of their hair. Paying us to give us a normal life's head start was their solution. Shadow wasn't excluded from it."

Silver nodded as he too was apart of that situation. Remembering it like it was yesterday, really. He folded his arms and looked over at Shadow. "So, you were wiser with your money than some of us?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sonic whispered under his breath. He looked a little offended. "I've got money. I'm not poor."

"No," Silver said back sarcastically. "You just had to live with Shadow for four years because you liked his wallpaper."

Sonic replied with a blank stare.

"He has money _now_ ," Sarah laughed a little. "I mean, it took him a while. And maybe with some of my help because I was the only one of us three who had an actual job."

"Farming is a job," Shadow retorted. "Why do you always say that? Farming is a job."

"Farming is an old man's hobby."

"You're thinking of gardening."

"Well, now I know what you'll be doing in thirty years. Farming _and_ gardening. I can already imagine you chasing the rabbits out of your garden. How cute," Sarah droned with humor in her eyes.

Shadow wasn't exactly pleased with her comment. "I got money from farming to pay for this house and feed you two, didn't I?"

"I paid for myself, Mister. I still have."

Shadow stopped short. Had she? He thought Sarah had pitched in with the bills once or twice but the food. He thought he paid for that. "You paid for your own food?"

"Hello, I was the one to go shopping for us on every Saturday. Do you not remember?"

"No. No, not really."

"Of course not. Well, I did. And I would use the money you gave me to pay for your food. But I paid for my own and Sonic's. Not to mention I helped with the electricity bill in the winter until you started to use the fireplace. After that, it was any other way I could pitch in - like also doing _your_ laundry."

…

Sonic leaned forward with a smug grin on his face. Shadow remained silent, staring at Sarah as if she had betrayed him. "Woooow. And you say I owe you. But it kind of looks like I owe her more than you right now."

Shadow was beyond confused. "How the hell do _you_ have the money for all of that when you have a _teaching_ salary?"

"My uncle."

"What?"

"While I hate my parents, they weren't the only family besides my brothers to make it to Earth. I had an uncle who paid for most of my schooling because he was made of money. And then for birthdays and holidays, that's all he'd give. To family and to charity. Until he died, of course, and even then I had plenty of money saved up from part time jobs and gifts from him combined. Shadow, I'm not completely helpless."

"A rich uncle? Why is it always a rich relative?" Silver shrugged. "But I mean, hey, at least you and Shadow both know how to save money. Unlike _someone_ ," he sang.

"Hey!" Sonic snapped and pouted at him. "Don't bring it up."

"Don't bring what up?" Sarah questioned, interested to the core.

"Do you mean that time he spent over a grand on one chili dog?" Amy didn't know where the memory came from, but she suddenly remembered it. It was such a stupid memory. Sonic racing in to meet up with some of the group with a grin on his face.

"When you told us the news that you customized your own chili dog that cost over a grand, we thought you were joking," Silver scoffed. "Sarah, it had edible gold on it."

Sonic was too ashamed to even look at his soon-to-be wife. He could just feel her judgmental look resting upon him. He simply put his head into his hands.

"A chili dog?" Sarah slowly and quietly said. "You know, I have a feeling that you're going to die by a chili dog one day. Like choking on it or something. Or a big chili dog sign just comes down crashing on you - splat."

It was Sonic's turn to look at her with a judgmental look. "I'm not that obsessed."

"Only because I don't ever cook chili dogs for you because I hate them You grew out of your liking a tiny bit."

"I should tell you that when you told me that, I almost walked away from our date."

Sarah laughed. "Are you kidding? What was that? Our third date? I told you that I didn't like chili dogs, and to this day that was the longest time you've ever been quiet."

"It was heartbreaking, really. Can't believe I'm marrying someone who doesn't understand the beauty of chili dogs."

"Well, thank God she never made them."

"I can't believe it," Sonic groaned as he flopped back in his chair. "I'm surrounded by people who just don't get me."

"I'm surprised you didn't just open up your own chili dog shop."

The comment came from someone new to the conversation. Sunny and Manic stood in the doorway, and while Manic rubbed his eyes, Sunny stared at the other household members after speaking. "I mean, it makes sense doesn't it?"

Sonic's mouth gaped. He slowly turned his head towards Sarah and nodded while she shook her head.

"Don't even say it. Don't think about it. Just don't."

"I want to start a chili dog business."

"You are not starting a chili dog business, Sonic. That's stupid," Sarah knew this would now forever be on the blue blur's mind. "You couldn't handle staying in one shop for hours, making chili dogs and _selling_ them rather than _eating_ them."

"...Okay, well I could stand with being in one place for hours - I already lose my mind at work. I can make chili dogs better than any of you, so that's not a problem. But...the whole not-eating-them thing…"

They could just see the new dream die in Sonic's eyes.

"I'm sorry to break it to you, sweetie, but no." Sarah combed her hand through the disappointed and now depressed hedgehog's quills.

Shadow smirked. He found it hard not to whenever Sonic was shot down like that. It was so delightful to watch personally.

Suddenly a plate of food was set in front of him. He hadn't noticed Amy and Blaze busy cooking. But once the kitchen became crowded with hungry guests, he was suddenly reminded of everything going on.

He almost missed it when it was just him, Sonic, and Sarah. Those weekend mornings were rather nice. Mostly because Sarah shot down Sonic's ideas a lot - no matter who suggested them. Be it Sonic himself or Shadow or Sarah just making a snide comment. Shadow would miss it, he thought.

 _Yeah...I'll miss the look of disappointment on Sonic's face whenever his dreams were crushed. Good times._

"Alright, so, plans for today?" Amy sat down next to Shadow on the opposite side since Silver took her regular spot. It almost bugged the Ultimate Life Form that she wasn't sitting in her usual spot. He didn't like craning his neck to the left.

"Well, I'm going to call my parents like you suggested," Sarah spoke up. "Tell them the news, I guess."

"What do you think they'll say?" Blaze inquired.

Shadow had noticed the feline had been nicer to Sarah since hearing the news. Or perhaps it was for a different reason entirely. But Shadow had sensed from the beginning that Blaze seemed a little envious about Amy and Sarah's friendship blossoming.

"Honestly? I think they'll disown me. But I hope they just hang up the phone instead." Sarah poked her fork around her scrambled eggs. "Mom will probably yell and Dad will probably be quiet until Mom's stopped yelling. And then he'll take his turn yelling. And then they'll most likely say they aren't coming to the wedding. That's what I'm thinking anyway…"

"It's going to be a rough phone call then?" Silver said with sympathy. "I'm sorry about that. Most of us here don't have parents though."

Manic stopped eating, and for a moment Sonic thought his little brother would snap. "Wait...no one else had parents besides Sonic, Sonia, and I?"

"Cream counts, I guess," Amy shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, Vanilla. So, yeah just you guys and her."

"Wait, you don't have parents?" Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Amy? Blaze? Silver?"

"It's a long story," Blaze laughed lightheartedly as she motioned between her and Silver.

"I can't remember them," Amy looked at her plate. She didn't seem sad, though, which made Shadow at least glad. "I know they existed at one point. But I just can't recall them. The first real memory I can think of is when I met Sonic. But so much has happened in our lives that I guess it's more difficult to remember some things."

"Huh," Sarah almost couldn't believe it. "You guys grew up without parents, then? I mean, I know Shadow was created, right?"

Shadow glanced up with a little glare. He didn't like talking about the ARK. He didn't like thinking about those memories. Not those ones. Not the ones filled with _her_.

Sonic cleared his throat. "Right. They grew up without parents, but I mean, we all had some parent-like figure to look up to at one point or another. Uh, anyway. When are you going to call them?"

She didn't seem to notice that he changed the subject. "I don't know...I'm procrastinating. What is everyone else doing?"

Amy propped her elbows on the table. "Oh, I don't know," she sighed dreamily almost - which caught everyone's attention. Almost everyone could feel the sarcasm about to slip out of her mouth. Everyone but Shadow, at least. "Maybe someone should fix the calf pen or get some new parts for the swather. It might be a good day to do that. Unless they also want to procrastinate, but it sounds like they've been doing that long enough."

Sonic swallowed and glanced at Sarah with a little smirk to which she replied with a gaped mouth. Everyone had a look on their face that showed they were desperately trying to hold in laughter and any side comments that would further help Amy tear Shadow down.

As for Shadow, he was the only one with a blank stare directed at the pink nuisance. "Ha. Ha. Ha. Maybe someone should get a job."

Oh.

He went there.

Amy smiled sweetly at him. But it was so falsely sweet that his ears flapped back against his head. He waited in what everyone else would call fear and what he would call patience (although his facial expression said otherwise).

"Says the one who apparently, and probably, owes money to Sarah."

"Coming from the one who owes _me_ money. I have the money to pay Sarah back anytime."

"Yet you'd probably procrastinate on that, too. I mean, I could go out and get a job today. In fact, maybe I'll check the paper or go around town."

"You don't even have a car."

"I can borrow Sarah's. I know how to drive."

Shadow scoffed. "Yeah, sure. And where could you possibly work in town without having to drive so far that it costs too much money for gas?"

"You know, Ames, the café here is hiring. They're always hiring," Sonic pitched in.

Shadow stopped short to glare at Sonic. Who said he could jump into their conversation? Who said he could just tell Amy who was hiring around here that would be within driving distance? If she got a job, there'd be no one to do the chores around the house, which meant they'd both be doing them and having less time to just relax.

"Oh?" Amy was actually interested. "Really? I thought that café was run down?"

"There are two cafés, really. One building is run down and used for parties held by the school, like the high school dances. But the two cafés still running are near the gas station. One's in the bar, and the other is across the street near a trailer park." Sarah rested her chin on her hand as her elbow went up on the table.

"Who would do the chores around the house?" Shadow suddenly blurted out. When everyone looked at him with a little menace in their eyes, he swallowed. He might have ruffled some quills and cat hair with that one. He noticed the females in the room looking at him intensely, waiting for him to dig his own grave and then bury him in it. "I mean...With no one here, the chores wouldn't get done until late. Like, the house chores…" he trailed off a little. They weren't slicing his throat yet. "...And, then we'd all have to pitch in and we wouldn't have time to...relax?"

Amy raised an eyebrow. "I'm not some maid, Shadow. If you want one, _you_ can start _paying me._ "

Shadow thought about it for a second. Would he rather have her working at the café or cleaning the house? Well...if she was at the house, she wouldn't be in the way of danger like Samwell.

 _But who knows how long Samwell is going to be an issue. Still, what if she gets in a car crash? The worst situation she could possibly get being stuck here is slipping on the floor while mopping or tripping down the stairs while getting the laundry. I guess, she couldn't really avoid danger in any situation._

…

 _So might as well keep her here._

"Okay."

Sonic almost spat out his orange juice. " _What?!"_

Amy raised her finger at Sonic before he could retort anything. "I was joking, Shadow. I'm not going to be your maid. Sonic, I think I will check out the café today. I don't see why not. Blaze, would you like to accompany me?"

"Sure. Although, I'm not sure where we're going."

"I can give you directions," Sarah offered. "It's really not that hard to get lost there since it's all one straight road."

Shadow grumbled something under his breath. Sonic laughed at him and stretched back in his spot. "Looks like you'll have to get a housewife if you want someone to be here twenty-four seven, Shadow."

"You're not expecting me to be a housewife, are you?" Sarah asked.

"No." Sonic didn't fall for the trap that was set on thin ice. "You can do whatever the hell you want as long as you aren't selling your body or drugs."

"Good. Same to you."

"I don't know. Lots of chicks like this body. Probably some men, too. Maybe if farming is too much of a hobby for Shadow, he can always turn to that, I guess."

Shadow growled lowly, but before he could say anything, Sunny was giggling under her breath. "Shadow? I mean, he might be handsome, but I don't think he'll stoop that low."

"Wait, you think he's handsome?" Manic questioned his girlfriend, getting close to her face with wide, waiting eyes.

Sunny smiled shyly. "I mean, I'm sure there are plenty of women who think he's handsome."

"...But what does that _mean_?" Manic interrogated. "Like...am I...not handsome?"

She chortled and grabbed his chin, pecking him on the lips. "You are very handsome."

Sarah rolled her eyes and pretended to make a gagging sound. Manic glared at her. "What? You don't like lovey dovey?"

"Not typically. Sarah's not the romantic type," Sonic patted her head until she swatted it away. "But I'm curious." He leaned over and whispered to her, "Do you think Shadow's handsome?"

Sarah covered her mouth, which told Sonic and Shadow that she was trying not to smile. Shadow scoffed. "I'm flattered, Sarah. But I'd rather you marry Sonic so both of you leave the house."

"Shadow's a looker, huh?" Blaze raised an eyebrow and stared at the ebony hedgehog. Really stared at him. She hadn't noticed many of his features until now. She raised both of her eyebrows this time. "You know, Sunny, you might be right. Shadow, how have you been single for this long?"

It was Silver choking on his food in the background as Shadow paused, unsure of what to say. Amy laughed a little, but she was a little intimidated now. Did other women in the valley think Shadow was good looking?

Well, he had gone on dates. But many had been scared of him.

"You know who this reminds me of?" Sonic asked. He had noticed Amy's far off look, and he decided to bring her back into the conversation with some nice news. Real nice. "Chelsea Lowe. That kind little hedgehog who lives down the way that used to come to work when you worked with me. How nice she was to you."

Shadow's eye twitched. Why'd he have to bring that one up? "I remember her…"

"I mean, how couldn't you? She was so nice," Sarah genuinely said. "She always baked you apple pies for some reason. And brownies, which was really sweet because you always gave them to me. Hey, why didn't you befriend her, Shadow? I wouldn't have to make brownies for myself now."

"Oh, well, Shadow didn't notice she was flirting with him," Sonic explained. "And one day she just snapped at him. Asking why he never gave her chance. Poor Shadow didn't understand what the hell was going on, and she just stormed out. Never saw her again. It was a few months before Shadow quit."

"Is she married now?" Sunny asked.

"I don't know. Haven't really seen her around. Maybe she moved."

"She didn't move," Shadow suddenly spoke. He took a drink of his juice. He felt Amy's eyes on him, waiting for an answer. "I ran into her a few months after that and apologized."

"Oh?" Sonic leaned forward, interested like the others. "How'd that go?"

"Not bad. She figured I wasn't used to romantic relationships and whatnot." Shadow gritted his teeth.

"Was that it?" Sarah gave him a knowing look. "That probably wasn't it, considering she was heads over heels for you, Shadow. Don't tell me that she asked you out on a date."

"No," Shadow plucked at the fork. "It was just like any other girl that the Wilson's set me up with."

"But the Wilson's didn't set you up with her," Sonic was confused now. Shadow seemed...off.

"She just went her own way, I guess."

"Oh. Well, that was anticlimactic," Silver scoffed and continued to eat his breakfast. Everyone else followed.

"Of course, after she said she'd wait for me."

" _WHAT?!"_ Sonic glared at Shadow as poor Silver choked in the background again. "You didn't say this. You didn't say she said that Shadow. You didn't say...What do you mean she'd wait for you? How long has she been waiting?"

Amy's ears fell back against her head. She looked at her plate of food, but her stomach felt like it had a boulder in it. Or maybe that was her throat. Suddenly, a hand clasped hers underneath the table.

Blaze gave her a reassuring look. The feline was surprised at how cold the hedgehog's hand was.

It worried her.

"I don't know. Ever since that talk probably."

"Shadow, this is the point where you politely tell her no," Sonic rubbed his forehead. "Ugh, what is wrong with you? Don't you know how to speak to women?"

"Obviously not."

"Of course not." Sonic gave him a dead stare. "So she still lives down the road?"

"You say down the road but I'm the only one that lives on this road until you move into your house. Then it'll be just us and that empty house where the widow lived," Shadow explained to Sonic as if he were an idiot.

"Fine. She still lives like two miles away then?"

"Sure. I pass her on the way to Wilson's whenever I go help with herding cattle. She's normally out front on her lawn doing something. Mowing the lawn, working on the flowers, stuff like that. I assume she got a boyfriend, though. That or a new car."

"Shadow...she's an accountant from town. It's probably a new car."

"She was very beautiful, I'm sure she has someone by now," Shadow waved him off.

"Oh, she was?" Blaze piped in. "What did she look like?"

"Uh, white hedgehog, right?" Sarah answered, looking at Sonic for confirmation. "Blue eyes - "

"Hazel eyes," Shadow corrected her. "They were hazel, and she wasn't completely white furred."

Blaze could practically feel Amy's hand shaking. She glanced at the rose hedgehog, but she didn't see tears forming yet so that was a good sign.

"Right, didn't she have like black tips on her quills or something? I thought they were dyed that way. But I guess they could just be like your stripes," Sarah mumbled. "She was nice. Couldn't hurt a fly. Could hurt an oblivious Shadow the Hedgehog though. I'd get frustrated, too."

"Yes, well, why don't you tell us where that café is?" Blaze tried to change the subject before Amy stormed out of the room. She didn't want her friend to be upset. But Amy was practically shaking her entire body now.

Sarah waved the cat off, which almost made Blaze hiss in response at her. Couldn't Sarah see how this affected Amy? Couldn't she -

"So, I wonder what Amy has that no one else does. I mean, she sure does have your attention."

The shaking stopped.

Blaze turned to look at Amy. The pink female looked up shyly at Sarah, too embarrassed to meet Shadow's eye contact though.

Shadow hummed softly. "So, she does, doesn't she?"

Amy had to bite her lip to keep from smiling even a little. Blaze gave her a gentle grin before glancing at Sarah. She was met with warm brown eyes.

 _She had noticed. Then again, I guess it didn't take that much observance._ The purple cat looked at Shadow. He was busy side glancing Amy with a warm gaze. _They did notice._

"Ow!"

Sonic's head hit the table as he held his stomach. He glared at Sarah. "What was that for?!"

Sarah pretended she hadn't just elbowed him in the gut as hard as possible. She only gave him a sweet look in return that was practically telling him to not open his mouth ever again - especially about women Shadow had known.

Thankfully, Sonic finally got the memo.

It only took a deadly glare from Shadow, and a deadly sweet one from Sarah, to figure out that he had crossed a line.

"Sorry…" His ears went down as he minded his own business.

As the group continued to eat their breakfast, Butch walked into the kitchen and sat down beside Shadow's feet. Silver patted his head. The dog wagged his tail for a little bit, enjoying so much company in the house.

"So, you have puppies." Silver asked, "Thinking about selling them?"

"Yes, please," Blaze whispered. "I want them all."

Shadow snorted. "Maybe. I'm thinking of keeping one or two. Butch is a good guard dog and he knows how to herd cattle well."

"But the mother?" Sunny questioned. "She seems a little...against anyone but her and her puppies."

"She's a bitch."

Sarah laughed. "Literally. Butch is a sweetheart though. Shia on the other hand - can we please get rid of her?"

"Who would want her?" Shadow shook his head. "No one would want her. I figure just let her outside soon. Maybe get a big, fenced in kennel like the Wilson's have for their cattle dogs."

"He's not really a cattle dog though. I mean, his breed is known for herding sheep more than anything. And you don't have sheep."

"Well, then, maybe one day I will. Before I start gardening," Shadow mockingly replied to the lime green hedgehog.

Sarah rolled her eyes at him. "Sure, sure. And pigs and chickens too. Maybe even a goat."

He sighed. "But I think that's what I'll do. The kennel thing. Keep them all out there rather than inside the basement. Give them some room to run and fresh air."

"But you'll keep them all?" Blaze sounded a little sad.

"At least the mix-colored one. That one I'm definitely keeping."

"Damn it," Sarah hissed. "I wanted her so badly. She's so fucking cute."

Shadow childishly stuck his tongue out at Sarah who returned it. "Too bad. She's staying. And I might keep the bigger one."

"You haven't named them yet?" Sunny said with hope. "Can I name them?"

"What? You'll just get attached to them."

"What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong with that? I'll tell you what's wrong with that. You're going to pile them all into your suitcase and take them back to California with you. Then I'll have to go and hunt them down."

Sunny stilled looked hopeful as she leaned forward. Her and Manic were crowded on the corners of one side of the table. "So...is that a yes? Because I want to name the big fluffy one Tank. He seems like a Tank."

"Tank?" Shadow seemed opposed to the name.

"Tank is cute!"

"Tank is generic though."

"You named your dog Butch," she retorted.

At that moment, Butch rose from his spot and growled. He started barking before racing to the door.

"Who's here?" Silver cocked his head to the doorway of the kitchen as Shadow got up from his seat. "I hear a truck."

"Frank," Sarah responded. "That's Frank's truck. Always putters along like that. He's going to end up on the side of the road soon if he doesn't just trade it in for a better one."

"Like Frank will ever give up that truck," Sonic scoffed as he got up. "Where do you think Shadow gets it from?"

"What?"

"You know - not wanting to get a new swather or new calf pens. Because Frank taught him to hoard things."

Sarah laughed at the image but nodded her head. One by one, they all got out of the kitchen and to the front door. Shadow leaned up against the open door as Butch launched himself outside. He was no longer barking upon seeing who was walking up the sidewalk.

His tongue hung out as he stared up at the humans. He liked the one that always smelled of food. He liked her better at this moment because she was actually holding food.

"Down, Butch. It's not for you," Eloise calmly said to the excited canine. She balanced the pie in one hand and held the rim of the pan with her other hand. She walked slowly towards the door.

Shadow's soft smile disappeared upon noticing her limping. "Do you need a hand, Eloise?"

"I'm fine, dear. Just my hip."

"Mama, I got it," a familiar voice came up from behind Eloise. Suddenly the pie was out of her hands.

"Elisa!"

The young adult was already at the door and offering the pie to Shadow. Sonic leaned against the doorway on the opposite side. The rest of the household peeked through.

"Elisa." The second call was from Frank, who walked hand in hand with his wife now.

"Right, Pa." Elisa turned with a sympathetic look in her eye. "We just dropped by to offer our condolences, Sonic. We'll be at the funeral."

"You really don't have to," Sonic started but trailed off.

"We understand if you want it just to be family, Sonic," Eloise softly replied as she walked one step up. Butch remained at the elderly woman's side. "But we're here for you."

Sonic shut his eyes and grit his teeth together. "Thank you, Eloise. Frank." He backed away however and let Sarah and Amy squeeze through instead. He couldn't stand condolences.

Shadow watched him with a careful eye before turning to the humans. "Thank you. We appreciate it."

"Shadow, I want to talk to you."

His ears twitched towards Frank. "About?"

Frank started to walk off towards the garage. He glanced back at Shadow as if Shadow were being rude for even asking. It was the type of warning look a father would send to his son. "You'll know when we talk, now won't you?"

Sarah pushed Shadow out the door and grabbed the pie. "Do you two want to come in while they talk?"

Eloise and Elisa shared a look before deciding to walk in. The others moved aside to give the humans some room to walk in. Silver grabbed Blaze's hand and squeezed it tightly. He motioned towards Sonic, who was now walking through the kitchen to disappear.

"Please, sit down. Uh, let me just put this away. Thank you," Sarah said to the new guests before going into the kitchen after Sonic.

She set the pie down on the counter and put her hands on her hips. "You can't just run away, Sonic," she whispered harshly. "Go back out there and have a normal conversation. They're just being nice. Manic's doing it. You can, too."

"Please, Sarah. I…" Sonic clenched his jaw. He leaned against the table that was still cluttered with their breakfast. "I can't. I just want to be distracted from her. But when they show up because of her, then I can't be distracted anymore."

"It's going to take time to get over, Sonic. Of course it's going to be hard, but that doesn't mean you should ignore those who are just trying to help you not be alone."

Sonic sighed and turned towards the garage door. "Look...I can't. I don't want to hear condolences. I don't want to have a conversation with them and pretend like it's normal when you can clearly see the sadness in their eyes. It only brings up the memories."

"Memories. Sonic, those are all you're going to have left of your mother."

"Can't you just accept that I grieve differently than my brother? He locked himself away for awhile, why can't I do the same?" His tone was harsher, but she noticed the slight tremble in it.

"Because he didn't constantly shut himself out from people like you're doing. He's out there talking to them right now," Sarah motioned to the door where they heard Eloise and Elisa talking to the others. "Your brother actually grieved, Sonic. He cried, and he mourned, and he's trying to move on by being around those he loves that are still alive. You haven't, Sonic."

"Everyone mourns differently, Sarah. You wouldn't really know because you didn't have anyone close to you die - except maybe that rich uncle."

"Well, we're pretty sure that rich uncle is still alive in Portugal," Sarah whispered to herself seriously. "He was being stalked and we think he faked his death. I still get a letter from him on my birthday every year."

"See? You've never lost anyone," Sonic hissed. "You don't know what it feels like. So, you shouldn't be telling me how to mourn. She was my mother for Christ's sake, not yours."

They were silent for a bit.

Sarah walked backwards and sighed gently. "Fine, Sonic. Go be alone if it makes you feel better. You're the only one that really knows you after all."

Before Sonic could even retort or apologize, she was gone.

He groaned, knowing he'd have to say something to her later. That he'd actually have to go talk to Eloise and Elisa. But a part of him - a very strong part of him didn't want to.

 _God, what happened? One minute I was fine, eating breakfast and actually kind of happy since Mom died. Now it's like a dark cloud has formed over again._

The blue went to the garage door and turned the handle. He needed to go for a walk. He couldn't go and talk to them. He just couldn't.

And with that, he went into the garage and outside through the back door. Just for a while, he planned.

Just to clear his thoughts.

* * *

"Shadow, we have to talk."

Normally, Shadow didn't like it when Frank wanted to talk with him. It meant something serious, and Shadow felt like he had endured enough with Aleena's death. Just seeing Sonic shut down that quickly made him want to go back inside and check on him.

"Well, we're outside. They're inside. We're talking. Now what about?" Shadow put his hands in his jean pockets. The flannel shirt wasn't quite warm enough for outside yet. It was a little chilly still.

"I'm serious, Shadow." Frank turned to face the Mobian. "Is Sonic going to be alright?"

"...I don't know. I'm worried about him, too."

Frank sighed and leaned against the garage. All Shadow could see what the tiredness in his eyes. "He had been visiting her frequently, hadn't he?"

"For a long time, yes."

"And his brother?"

"Was worse, but is better now. They'll get over it, Frank."

"Shadow, we're concerned about him. Any time someone we know has a death in their family, we're concerned. Elisa has taught us to be concerned about someone's feelings. It's not easy to read her all the time. And her moments just happen out of the blue. And we've found a similarity in her and people mourning."

"They're both depressed?" Shadow guessed. "They're both open to having moments where they feel all alone? By themselves? Frank, trust me, I know what it's like to grieve."

Frank wasn't going to say anything. He didn't really know about Maria - Shadow never brought up his past. But Elisa got bits and pieces out of Shadow before that Frank knew enough to be cautious around these types of conversations.

The old man exhaled heavily. "Well, then...I guess I better share the bad news."

"Wait, what?" Shadow glanced to the sides and then to Frank. "You mean that wasn't what you wanted to talk about?"

"No, not really. The party is going to be on Saturday like Elisa told you. But I won't be making it to the funeral on Sunday. I'm sorry."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Why, Frank?"

"Look, I didn't want to come in and do this at such a bad time, but Eloise told me to do it. I should've told you when you last visited with Amy, but I didn't - "

" _Frank_."

Shadow stared at the human with actual concern. He didn't typically like humans because they didn't normally like him. But the Wilson's were his family as much as Sarah and Sonic were. But now that he looked closer at the elderly man, he knew time was catching up with more than just Aleena.

"Eloise's hip has been bugging her for years," Frank disregarded Shadow and walked to the edge of the garage. "Elisa is getting married and she still has...episodes." He turned to walk around the side of the garage, to the backyard.

Shadow followed. "Frank, what is this about?"

"I want you to watch them, Shadow. Make sure they're okay."

"Frank."

"I'm sick, Shadow. Cancer," Frank turned to him with a sorrowful stare. "I should've told you at a better time. But I'm going to an appointment on Sunday. Jo hated me for not saying anything to him. But he appreciates that I'm still going to be at the party."

Shadow could sense it was more about Frank and Jo's deceased sister to the Wilson's. To their family friends, it was about Jo.

"So, you'll be gone for how long?"

"Oh, I just you need to take care of the animals for awhile. Eloise is coming to get me Monday...and then we'll be off on a sort of...retreat with Elisa. We figure we all needed a break after this. And I got the okay from the doctor last time. This time is just to see if I'm really okay, I guess. I don't know. The older I get, the more I forget," the man chuckled.

"You don't seem all too frightened."

"I'm not scared of death, Shadow."

Frank stood in the shade the side of the garage offered. Shadow stood beside him silently.

"Are you afraid of it, Shadow?"

…

"No."

Shadow's ears perked up suddenly at the sound of the door in the back opening and closing. Frank heard it, too.

Suddenly, Sonic appeared. He exhaled into the morning air. Turning, he was surprised to see Shadow and Frank right there.

"I didn't realize you two were over here. I thought you'd be up front."

"What are you doing out here?" Shadow walked towards the cobalt hero. "I thought you'd be inside with the others."

"Couldn't."

"Couldn't?" Shadow raised an eyebrow.

"Sonic, we're not here to pester you or make it worse," Frank spoke up from behind them. "We're just here to make sure you're okay. We care about you."

"Stop," Sonic croaked under his breath. He looked towards the horizon. "I didn't come out here to be reminded of her. I left for that reason. No offence, Frank, really, but Eloise and Elisa wouldn't have helped me. Things like this...they make it worse."

"How would you know, Sonic?" Frank questioned him. "We were told you only ever knew your mother. Who else would you have lost to know how to grieve?"

"Frank," Sonic growled suddenly. Shadow caught his arm and kept Sonic in place. "Please, just drop it. Take you and your wife and kid back to your perfect little life. I just want to be _alone_. Don't you people get it? Or do you take pleasure in sticking your noses in places they don't belong?"

" _Sonic_ ," Shadow whispered so harshly that it almost came out like a snarl. His grip tightened around Sonic's arm.

The hedgehog tried to get out of Shadow's grasp. They were suddenly pushing and pulling against each other for a short moment before Sonic finally ripped free from Shadow.

"Just leave, Frank," Sonic glared at the man. "Please."

Despite how angry Sonic looked, both Frank and Shadow could tell the blue hedgehog on the verge of bawling. On the verge of breaking down.

"Sonic, we care about you. And frankly, we think you need this."

Sonic shook his head quickly and backed away. "I don't need anything from you, Frank. Not you, or Shadow, or anyone. I just need time to think this through. Why can't you give me that?"

Shadow came up behind him suddenly and grabbed his arm. "Sonic, you need to grieve for real. Stop pretending like you're fine. Your mother is dead. This is happening."

The ebony hedgehog felt a sharp sting as Sonic twisted around and out of his grasp yet again, and landed a backhanded slap across Shadow's face. The blue blur hissed. "I DON'T NEED TO BE REMINDED, SHADOW! I KNOW SHE'S DEAD!"

"Then why don't you stop acting like you need to be strong for someone, Sonic?!"

"Because Sonia and Manic need me! I'm the oldest, Shadow, don't you get it?! I'm supposed to be strong for the two of them!"

Shadow stopped trying to get a hold of him. He merely stared at him instead. Frank watched in silence. Sonic huffed at both of them.

"Sonic…" Frank spoke out finally, breaking the silence. "Your siblings will understand if you need time to mourn. They'll understand if _you_ need _them_."

"Stop being a hero, Sonic. Just be normal."

"Normal?" Sonic laughed mockingly. "What would you know about normal? We aren't normal, Shadow. We're seen in a different light."

"And that light is pressuring you to be a hero still, Sonic, but we don't need a hero anymore. Why can't you just actually mourn?"

"I. Am. Mourning." Sonic gave Shadow a deadly look that told the ebony hedgehog to shut up or regret his next words.

"No, you're not, Sonic."

"Well, you should know."

The sting that hit Shadow this time wasn't physical, but it was deeper. Sonic knew better than to bring that part of his life up.

Shadow snarled at him. "You bastard, you wouldn't dare bring her up."

Frank watched in fear and wonder. He knew only what Shadow had told Elisa, but he figured it was something that Shadow wanted to bury into his past. Frank didn't think Sonic would say anything to make Shadow look so...frightening.

The old man had never been scared of the Ultimate Life Form. He had just been given crazy looks from other humans when he told them that Shadow the Hedgehog wasn't a monster. Now, he was beginning to wonder if some parts of Shadow's past weren't at all overexaggerated.

"Then leave me alone."

"I'm just trying to help my friend," Shadow snipped back. They were both baring their teeth at each other.

Frank hadn't seen two Mobians act like such animals. He wondered if he should go inside and get help to separate the two.

"Shadow, he's not going to accept anyone's help or condolences. We might as well let him be."

"Like hell. I'm not watching you tear yourself apart like this, Sonic. You're going to listen to us."

"Drop dead." Sonic's eyes darkened as well as Shadow's. "I'm fine, Shadow. Perfectly fine."

"Your mother is dead. You're not fine and you're never going to be unless you just open up to us. Sonic, face it. You don't know how to grieve. You're lost."

"Then we'd be in the same boat, wouldn't we, Shadow?" Sonic stood taller, more arrogantly, all of sudden. He gave a sickening smirk that made Frank step back. "Maria is dead, as well. And you never got to grieve for her. Because you never had any friends or family. She was your only family. And she's - "

Frank only saw teeth bared and hands swiping the air. He heard growls and grunts from them both as suddenly, the two hedgehogs Frank had thought of as sons were now fighting like animals on the ground.

Shadow grabbed Sonic around the waist and tossed him like a hay bale. Sonic came back at lightning speed before he even hit the ground, grabbing Shadow's shirt collar and yanking him sideways. Shadow retorted by bringing Sonic down with him.

The two continued to tussle on the ground, adding punches to the mix. Shadow landed a punch to Sonic's jaw right before Sonic returned the favor.

"Don't bring her into the conversation, you bastard! You know not to bring her up!"

"Why?! Because poor little Shadow is scared of living in the past?!"

A vicious snarl came from Shadow's throat as he lunged towards Sonic. The two were on their feet now, catching their balance and breath.

"Sonic, I'm just trying to help you."

"I don't want your help! I don't need your help!"

"Then who do you need, Sonic?!"

The words must have hit him because Sonic stopped and stood straight. He collected himself, as did Shadow, and exhaled heavily. Green eyes looked at the ground. "I...I don't know."

Sonic remained standing in silence for what felt like hours. He was lost. He wouldn't admit it, but he was. He didn't want their help. It made him feel weak. But Sonic needed to know that it was okay to show weakness.

He almost shrugged away when a hand grabbed his wrist softly but firmly. But it didn't feel like Shadow.

It felt warmer.

Upon gazing down at his hand, he saw his brother's. Turning, Sonic frowned at the sadness written on Manic's face.

"You don't have to be a hero, Sonic. You just have to be here."

Sonic didn't ask when Manic had shown up or why. He didn't care. Sonic knew he just needed Manic right now. Needed Sonia. He craved his siblings because they were the only other ones that knew their mother the way they did.

All he did was embrace his younger sibling as if it were the last hug they'd ever share.

* * *

The Wilson's left shortly after.

No one but Frank and Shadow had seen, and they didn't bother to tell anyone about it. Sonic had to figure out how to deal with his mother's death, but that didn't mean he had to figure it out on his own.

The afternoon that followed turned quiet.

Amy and Blaze had gone to check out the cafe just like they had said this morning. Manic was inside the house with Sunny and Sarah.

"She's going to call her parents," Sonic called from the ground as Shadow sat on the rafters of the barn yet to be built.

Silver held a bucket of nails beside Sonic as Shadow rested above them. The ebony hedgehog was trying to picture the layout of the new barn, but he couldn't when Sonic just wanted to keep talking.

"And she's...scared?" Silver inquired. "Because?"

"Her parents don't really like me, I guess. I've never really formally met them, though. But even before, when I first met Sarah, it was clear to me that she and her parents didn't see eye to eye on much."

"And this situation probably isn't going to be any better."

"Of course not. As much as I'd like to hope, I know it won't go well," Sonic responded curtly. He turned to stare at Silver. "What did you find out about Scourge?"

"God, that bruise looks horrible."

"Shut up!"

Silver smugly smirked at the blue blur. "Here I thought it would blend in, but nope. Wait until the others see that you and Shadow are both sporting some nice battle scars."

"Pfft," Shadow rolled his eyes as he grabbed the hammer next to him. He motioned for Silver to pass a nail up to him.

The white hedgehog turned skeptical as he grabbed one. "Are you sure you can catch this?"

"Just throw it up here."

He did so, and he was further surprised when the Ultimate Life Form caught it with precision. Shadow motioned for some more nails and the cycle continued. Sonic crossed his arms while watching the scene unfold.

" _Silver._ Back to the matter at hand. What about Scourge?"

"What about him?" Silver threw one last nail up to Shadow.

"Did you get his whereabouts?"

"Yeah. Wasn't that hard, honestly. He and Rosy are living only, like, ten minutes from here. Somewhere out on the other side of this small rinky dinky town."

Shadow hammered away at the beam he had been precariously sitting on. Sonic didn't realize until then that it hadn't even been put into place. God, his housemate was a moron sometimes.

"But why do we really need to get involved with Samwell?" Silver questioned out of curiosity. "I mean...sure, he's dangerous, I guess. But as long as I've been here, nothing really major has happened."

"Because if we don't do something, Amy's sure to do it on her own," Shadow mumbled.

"What?" Sonic blinked, thinking the pink hedgehog must be an idiot of sorts just asking for trouble. "Why on Earth is Amy so interested in all of this, Shadow?"

"Because it involves a kid."

"Samwell wouldn't actually hurt a kid, would he?" Silver leaned up against a post, setting the bucket down. "He can't be that crazy, can he?"

"According to Amy, he is."

"What has Amy even heard? She's only been here for awhile. Hell, we should know more about Samwell and Scourge than her," Sonic protested, placing his hands on his hips defiantly.

"She ran into him in town - when we went to get those things for your house. Although she didn't talk to him, she overheard him on the phone with who she believes to be Rosy. And all because - apparently - Sarah saw the kid."

"Wait - my _pregnant fiancé_ was in on this before me?" Sonic's eyes blazed with fire. "What the hell, Shadow? Why didn't you say anything? She could get hurt."

Shadow glowered down at Sonic. "She only _saw_ the kid. And then she saw Rosy. Sarah was merely curious as to why three pink hedgehogs suddenly showed up out of the blue, almost at the same time. Pink isn't a typical color, you know."

"So, she was just curious," Sonic thought out loud, but there was relief laced into his tone. "So, she's not worried like Amy?"

"I doubt Sarah even knows past that. Or I hope."

"And you heard all of this from Amy...when?"

"Bits and pieces here and there," Shadow shrugged. "Get more information out of her when she's tired. She's talkative for some reason…"

Silver raised an eyebrow at Sonic, who in returned looked equally confused. "O-Okay, Shadow. Whatever you say. But, let me get this straight. You _want_ to do this?"

"Of course not. I'd rather stay clear of Samwell. But if things are happening, I must admit I'm getting wary. If we at least go over and interrogate Scourge, we might get some answers."

"But wouldn't Scourge be in cahoots with Samwell?" Sonic had yet to be completely caught up to date on the news.

Shadow poked his head over the beams to look at the two below. "Amy has strong evidence to say otherwise."

"The kid?"

"The kid."

"So...we just find where Scourge lives - "

"Check," Silver interrupted the hero.

"- and then question him about Samwell and their plans. Is that it?"

"I figure so."

"But what if he doesn't want to talk? What if he's not even there when we do go?"

God, Sonic was just full of questions today.

Shadow grumbled under his breath before replying. "Sonic, we have powers - the three of us together would beat Scourge to a pulp, let's be honest here. Plus, if he's not there, Rosy might be. And she might be easier to manipulate in telling us the truth."

"Isn't Rosy insane though?" Sonic wasn't quite sure about this whole plan. "Last time I checked, she wanted to kill Scourge, not have his kid."

"Apparently that's what made Sarah pry, despite the whole pink hedgehogs showing up thing," Shadow hammered the last nail in. All the beams on one side were perfect in his eyes. Of course he could've just used a nail gun, but he didn't have one. "Sarah doesn't know much about us, does she?"

Sonic shrugged. "She never asked. Didn't seem to care. But I've told her about some things, so I guess I might've mentioned Rosy and her insanity."

Shadow used the ladder to get down, bringing the hammer along for the ride. Silver and Sonic glanced at each other.

"So, we're doing this all because you don't want Amy to do something rash?"

"Yes, as that seems to be her undying style of doing things."

Silver nodded in agreement. "Makes sense. But is this just between the three of us?"

"Until Knuckles arrives. Tails is busy enough as it is. I don't think he'd be much help, dare I say it," Sonic said. He didn't like to insult his best friend, but he would be lying if a part of him didn't want Tails involved for safety reasons. "Knuckles might be able to help us do...whatever it is that we're doing."

"Just focus on talking to Scourge first. If it calls for action, we'll get the rest involved."

"Blaze and Rouge, you mean?" Silver bit his lip. "Blaze doesn't like to resort to fighting. And personally, I don't want her involved in this."

"Exactly, but she's bound to figure it out. Sarah'll be easy to keep it hidden from, though. She's completely oblivious for the most part," Sonic figured. "Do you think it'll be necessary to bring in the others, though?"

"Might be." Shadow walked away from the two, heading to his truck that was parked not too far off. His toolbox rested in the back.

Silver hurriedly grabbed the nail bucket and followed along with Sonic. "What makes you say that? Are you not telling us something, Shadow?"

"No - I'm just cautious, is all. From what I've heard about Samwell, I'm not about to just wave the guy off."

"But, Shadow, we're not the people we used to be," Silver warned. "I haven't used my powers in years. I've never had any reason to."

"It's the same for the majority of us," Sonic replied. They made it to the truck, and as Shadow put away the hammer, Silver put the bucket of nails beside the toolbox. "Some...rules of the government made it that way."

"Exactly. Even clients are wary upon hearing I use telekinesis - until they found out who I am. It's like humans don't trust Mobians, but then again, why should they? Not all of us are good," Silver scoffed.

"Neither are the humans."

"True. But what are we supposed to do if this does resort into fighting and using our powers? We're rusty."

"Pfft," Sonic gave Silver a cocky look. " _You_ might be rusty, but I still have my running shoes. Like I can forget how to run."

"Yeah, but what about combat? Self-defense?" Silver pressed. "I haven't done any of that, and neither has Blaze. I doubt Amy has, but I don't know about the rest of you. We're living pretty normal lives that don't include daily fighting with bad guys."

Shadow closed the toolbox shut. "Which is perhaps the reason we should keep the others out of this. Especially Amy. Samwell...he's met her. And he's showed interest in her."

"Interest?"

He glanced at the white hedgehog. "More than friendly. Not exactly welcoming, either. Bottom line, Silver, is that Samwell isn't someone that's just doing this for attention and has no skill. There's something about him that fills other people with fear."

"Who?"

Shadow remained silent for a few seconds. "I don't know them personally, but they probably ran into Samwell on one of his bad days."

"Shadow's right, Silver. Even if we're heroes with powers, that doesn't mean other Mobians don't have the capability to fight against _us_. Their motive is a different reason. We know little about Samwell, but he's probably not alone or with just Scourge. We should tread lightly."

"Keep the others safe?"

"Keep the others safe," Shadow agreed.

The trio turned around to walk back to the house, but were interrupted by another being. Sonic was beginning to wonder how many times Manic was going to surprisingly show up that day.

But that was the least of his worries.

Manic glanced at each one of them with interest.

"Who's Samwell?"

* * *

Back at the house, things were going a little different for the remaining girls.

While Amy and Blaze were still out, Sunny sat on the couch and watched Sarah look at the phone.

The female wondered where her boyfriend had disappeared to, but at that moment she was just tired of a quiet house. Sarah had been staring at the phone like it was the plague for the past half hour. Sunny was slowly trying to coax her into calling her parents.

"It'll be okay, Sarah."

"Hmhm."

"I'm sure they won't be angry."

"You don't know my parents like I do. Hell, you _don't_ know them."

"Even so, they're your parents. You're their daughter."

"...Thank you for clearing that one up for me - almost forgot how we were related."

Sunny huffed and leaned back into the couch. "Sarah, it's going to be okay, but you just have to get it over with or you'll never do it."

Sarah licked her lips and grabbed the phone. Shakily, she entered the numbers in. The numbers that she knew by heart, and the numbers she would most likely dial for the last time.

Putting the phone to her ear, Sarah began pacing the living room. Sunny observed intently, hoping for the best. But Sarah was right - Sunny didn't know how Sarah's parents were. But they couldn't be that bad...could they?

Meanwhile, Sarah was simply praying that her mother wouldn't pick up the phone. But of course she would.

And she did.

" _Sarah? What on Earth are you calling us for in the day? Shouldn't you be at work? It's Friday."_

"Yeah, Mom, I know what day it is. And I'm not at work. Took a couple days off…"

Sarah was already a different person in Sunny's eyes. This wasn't the sarcastic, blunt Sarah Hutchington she had grown accustomed to. This was a timid and obedient daughter terrified of her parents. Sarah spoke softer and hesitated at every word.

" _And why?"_

"Well, um...Sonic's mother passed away."

" _...And you're telling me this because?"_

"Jesus, Mom, have a little heart. His mother died."

" _And what do you want me to do about it? I'm not going to some stranger's funeral. Much less his mother's."_

"How dare you! She was a kind and gracious person."

" _Honey, you didn't even know her that well. She was, what, in the hospital for the time you knew her? Honey, don't act like you know someone when you don't."_

Sarah bit her lip. "It doesn't matter. It's not what I called you for."

" _Oh?"_

"Is Dad there?"

" _He's watching TV. Do you want us on speaker?"_

She really thought about it. If she told only her mother, her mother would surely tell her father and she could skip a yelling. But if she didn't tell both of them at the same time, her father might call her later to yell at her anyway.

"Yes."

There was pause before her father's gruff voice was added into the conversation. _"Sarah?"_

"Hi, Dad…"

" _What is it, Sarah_?" her mother impatiently asked. _"If it's what we've been talking about, we hope you've considered it. We have room available here if you decided to call off the wedding."_

" _She decided to call off the wedding? Finally. Thank God."_

"No. Dad, I didn't call it off. And I'm not going to."

" _What? Why the hell not?"_

"Because you don't even know Sonic, Dad. You never even took the chance to try and get to know him," Sarah was getting annoyed now.

" _Don't raise your voice with me,"_ her father snapped back. _"I don't need to get to know him. I know exactly what he's like. He's arrogant and thinks he's still living in the spotlight. He's a waste of time."_

"He is not a waste of time."

" _Oh? Then tell me what he is, Sarah."_

"The father of my child."

Sunny's mouth gaped open as she watched Sarah. The lime green hedgehog had stopped pacing now and was standing in the middle of the living room with one hand on her hip. The confidence was building.

The silence on the other end of the phone drove her mad. What had she just done? She had just confirmed to them that she was pregnant. They had been telling her to abort it if she was. They'd been telling her to call off the wedding.

Sarah mentally shook her head. _They don't know him like I do. They don't know him at all. He's nothing like they say. Because they don't know him._

" _He's what…"_ Her father's tone made her shiver. _"Sarah, you better not be pregnant. We're not giving you a dime."_

"I'm not asking for money. I'm just calling to let you know."

" _Honey, you can't raise a child right now. You're too young. You aren't prepared."_

"No one's ever prepared to have a kid. But I'm not just getting rid of it. I simply called to let you know. To hear that you disown me. To hear that you won't be coming to the wedding," Sarah babbled on. "To hear everything I've been hearing in my head come out of your mouths so that I can have this sense of relief that I won't have my God awful parents in my life anymore."

" _Young lady, watch your mouth - "_

"Fuck it. You're not disowning me," Sarah scoffed. "I'm disowning _you_."

There was longer silence on the phone this time, and she was tempted to hang up.

" _Sarah?"_

"What?" She snipped quickly.

" _If it's what you want. To have us not come the wedding,"_ it was her mother this time _, "then we won't go."_

"I'm sure it would be a better convenience for you not to come."

" _...Sweetie, we just don't think he's good for you."_

"What's that thing you said, Mom? To not pretend to know someone you don't actually know?" Sarah's hands were shaking at this point. She curled her free hand into a fist. "Maybe you should actually start listening to your own advice."

The violent click told Sunny that the female hung up on her parents.

"Wow…"

Sarah twisted around reluctantly to face Sunny. "I couldn't do it anymore." She shook her head as tears formed in her eyes. "I couldn't fight with them anymore. I just wanted peace and quiet. But they were the only thing in my life giving me a headache every time I tried to talk to them. I'm tired of pretending to still be their daughter when I'm not."

"Sarah…" Sunny stood and opened her arms. She knew Sarah wasn't much into hugs with random people. But the female in front of her needed comfort. "It'll be okay either way."

The lime green hedgehog shook her head again. "No. It was better this way. I should have done it long time ago."

Sarah avoided Sunny's open arms and put the phone back where it belonged. She turned to Sunny and offered her a small smile. "I'll be fine, though, really. It'll feel no different."

"Then shall we go see what the boys are doing?"

"Might as well."

Before they could take a step, the phone rang.

Fear washed over Sarah. She turned white, but quickly grabbed the phone. Sunny grabbed her arm. "It's okay if they yell at you," she quickly reassured the pregnant female. "Just stay strong and don't back down. Stand your ground."

Sarah furrowed her eyebrows at the number written across the screen. It was unfamiliar. "That's not my mom's cell."

"Well, who is it then?"

"I don't know." She set the phone back on its stand. "But I'm not answering it. I don't answer random numbers I don't recognize."

"Then let's just go see what the boys are up to," Sunny repeated and tugged Sarah's arm along. The phone stopped ringing.

They made it to the kitchen before the phone started to ring again. Sarah growled under her breath in annoyance and looked at the kitchen phone. "Looks like the same number again."

"Maybe pick it up then?"

"Fine," she muttered. Picking up the phone, she answered it. "Hello?"

" _Oh, hi, this is Rouge! I was expecting Amy or Shadow to answer, but I understand he has lots of guests in his house. Who is this?"_

"Sarah."

"Who is it?" Sunny whispered.

The female waved her off. "Rouge, uh, what are you calling for? Do you need Shadow or Amy?"

" _Oh, no. I'm just calling to let you all know that Knuckles, the twins, and I are going to be landing in tomorrow morning."_

"Landing in?"

" _Yeah, at the airport. I told Amy some time ago, but she hasn't really spoken to me since. I figure with Blaze and Silver there now, she's busy catching up with them. Blaze texted me though - kept me updated on what was going on. I'm so sorry for the loss, by the way. I didn't personally know Aleena but I heard only good things."_

Sarah blinked at the wall. "I'm sorry. Rouge? Like Rouge the Bat?"

" _Yes."_

"You're coming here?"

" _Well, we're staying at a hotel right now. We didn't want to intrude you guys or Tails. Amy tried to convince him, but we talked him out of it. He really wouldn't want two five-year-olds running amuk. But I thought we'd just call and make sure that you guys knew. We have a rental car so that's all taken care of."_

"You were coming to the wedding, too, then?"

" _Well, when it happens in May. But Knuckles and I have been talking about moving some place different. It would feel nice to be back with the group. But at the same time the twins were just starting to fit in. Still, it's up for debate._ "

"Um…Right. I'll just tell them when they come back here, then."

" _Thanks so much, Sarah! Oh, and congrats!"_

Sarah winced. Just how fast did Blaze tell Rouge everything. "Congrats?"

She hoped the bat meant being engaged.

" _I'm sorry, but Blaze texted me last night on what happened with Aleena and whatnot, and then finding out that you're pregnant. So, congrats! It's lovely, really...most days."_

Sarah gritted her teeth. Suddenly Blaze was becoming a nuisance to her. She didn't need _everyone_ to know just yet. The people in the house were good enough.

"Thank you, Rouge. Very nice talking to you, and I will tell them."

" _Thanks, Hun. Bye!"_

"Buh bye."

She hung up the phone. Sunny grabbed her shoulder and leaned over. "Well?"

"Rouge is coming."

"And you're glaring at the wall because of that?"

"No. But remind me to have a stern talk with Blaze on sharing personal information about others."

* * *

The day had been mostly uneventful for Shadow despite what happened this morning.

 _Frank has cancer...But at least he's accepting of whatever happens. It might feel strange when he's gone, but that day is inevitable. They aren't getting younger._

 _And at least Sonic is less tense about his mother's death now. Or at least less tense about being weak in front of his siblings. Manic didn't seem to care at all, but thank God he showed up when he did._

…

He thought about the fight. The words that stung. _Sonic didn't mean to say those things. He apologized. I accepted his apology. With what happened, it was only a matter of time before he said even the tiniest thing about...her. But I didn't expect myself to lash out so quickly._

"So, you got the bruise from what again?"

"Sonic has good aim."

Amy frowned as she tried to see the bruise on Shadow's cheek. It was practically impossible since the black hedgehog kept moving out of her grasp. "Shadow, let me see it."

"It's fine." The bolshie male was about to get very annoyed. She was trying to mother him.

The rose Mobian rested on her knees. Folding her arms, she glared at him - as if that would make him finally behave. Shadow, of course, did nothing different but ignore her.

" _Shadow_."

He was somewhat cornered when he moved too far to one side of the bed, and she toppled herself on top of him. Shadow swallowed heavily as she sat on his stomach and leaned in to look at his bruise.

"It's going to look pretty noticeable tomorrow when we go see Rouge and Knuckles."

 _Oh, and that happened today as well._ Shadow frowned mentally. He wasn't excited about seeing the bat face-to-face. Something about the whole idea made him...scared.

Amy seemed to notice. She gave him a reassuring smile whether he was looking or not. Nuzzling into his bruised cheek softly, Amy hummed softly. "It won't be so bad, Shadow. Rouge is excited, and so you should be too."

"That makes hardly any sense, Rose."

She tilted her head as if to say, 'How can you not understand that logic?'

Green eyes stared down at him innocently. She softly whispered, "I know it must be hard on you to know what happened to Rouge so long ago...and you not being able to do anything about it. But, Shadow, she's moved on from it. And while you might not be able to move on as quickly with the news right now, it'd probably mean a lot to her if you were just her best friend again."

 _Best friend._

 _Had I truly been Rouge's best friend? Sure. I guess one would call it that. But a best friend would have murdered the guy who dared to touch her in the first place. And I didn't. I didn't do anything about it because I didn't know it had happened._

 _Because she hadn't said anything to me._

 _Because I wasn't a part of her life anymore._

 _Which wouldn't make me her best friend, now would it?_

"Do you really think that's what I am to her?"

Amy blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"If I were her best friend, she would have told me...but she didn't. I wasn't in her life then. But I should've been."

With a serious face, Amy laid down on top of Shadow, her left hand finding his chest fur to play around with while her right hand rest up by his shoulder. Shadow didn't seem to mind the sudden weight, so she didn't make a move to get off.

"Shadow, of course your Rouge's best friend. You knew her the best back then. She knew you the best."

"Back then, Amy. Back then was like a different lifetime. I barely remember anyone from _back then_."

She smiled softly. "Same. I feel like I can almost recall how Sonic was in the past, but then I just think of how he is today. And Silver and Blaze were very different. But years change people, Shadow."

"Exactly. Years change people. Those years change relationships, too. And Rouge and I barely know each other now. Hell, as soon as I left, I knew nothing about her. Tomorrow will be like meeting new people all over again."

"Don't say that," Amy shook her head defiantly. "Don't ever say that, Shadow. You and her know each other. Or knew. But you're still friends."

Shadow looked away.

 _The empty, darkness in our room is just how I feel about this whole situation. The fuzzies in the air I see are how confused my brain is on the whole situation with Rouge...Wait._

 _Our room?_

He stopped himself.

 _Right. My room._

"Amy…" he whispered after several minutes of quiet. "You and I knew of each other in the past, correct?"

"Yes…"

"And you knew about me? Several things?"

"Well, sure. Just rumors or things from Sonic. Never really got many opportunities to talk to you personally," Amy wasn't sure where he was headed with this, but she played along.

"Then when the group split up, did you ever once think of that one hero deemed a monster by the public? The one you knew back then?"

…

Her silence was his answer.

"When Rouge and I went our separate ways to live as normal lives as we could...we became what you and I became. What you and everyone else practically became. Strangers."

"Not complete strangers, Shadow. I mean, Sonic was for a time with you, but he eventually found his way into your life again."

"Still. I knew Sonic. Then I didn't. Now I know a completely different Sonic. Two different people that aren't the same. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"Kind of...The Rouge you knew back then...you're afraid she won't be the same Rouge now?"

"In a way, I guess afraid is the right term. But still the issue that happened to her - that's enough to make me realize how we really did just become strangers. How easily it was done. It amazes me. You can say goodbye to someone so quickly - shut them out of your life like that. And then they're strangers, again. Everyone starts out as strangers, I suppose. Then you know them. And then you don't."

Amy found herself clutching onto his chest fur at the thought.

…

…

…

Shadow figured Amy had gone to sleep after what felt like fifteen minutes, but was probably close to five. He loosely wrapped his arms around her form. When he did so, he heard the slightest whisper cut through the air.

"Shadow?"

His eyes, which were about to shut, flew open at the sound of her small voice. Why did it sound so frail though? So...scared?

"Hm?"

"...We...We won't become strangers, will we?"

The question caught him by utter surprise. The idea of being strangers - him and Amy.

 _No._

That was the first word that hit his head. No, he couldn't possibly say that type of goodbye to her. A strong part of him wanted to keep her around forever. She was captivating and different.

She understood him.

From being the one stranger he never really knew, he was surprised that this little female was the one that would know him the best.

 _I guess it only takes a hello. Or an intruding guest that's stubbornly going to live under your roof and not get a job. Same thing, I suppose, in this case._

"Shadow?"

The Ultimate Life Form kissed her forehead softly. When he finally answered, he said the word she had hoped to hear.

"Never."

* * *

 _O.O *blinks at the word count*_

 _Alright. Look. I can explain._

 _You know when you sit down and think you should finally start writing to that fanfiction you have - so you start writing and you just don't stop and then you end up with over 21,000 words and you can't just break it off somewhere so you decide to keep it as one long ass chapter?_

 _Yeah, me neither._

 _Arrivederci!_


	28. JUST ANOTHER NOTE, LAST ONE I SWEAR

**Readers,**

 **NEW NEW NOTE**

 **So many notes, I know.**

 **But here's the latest news on my end: my laptop decided to quit on me. System failed and they had to reupload Windows. So I got that fixed and now it's running smoothly, so cross yo fingers!**

 **And I had chapter 28 planned and have barely gotten the chance to start writing it. Not sure when the chapter is going to be done, but honestly, don't keep your hopes for anytime soon, lol. I'm torn between finishing a chapter and uploading it after it's edited, or writing several chapters and slowly uploading them when I get to a certain point. Idk, fam.**

 **Also, I don't know how many of you saw the two notes before this, but you've done well not to review to this "chapter" because then you won't be able to review the ACTUAL chapter when I replace the note with it. Typically, you've understood that from past notes, but I'm just here to remind you that if you want to be able to review the chapter without having to sign out (You can review as a Guest as many times per chapter as you want), then don't respond to this note.**

 **K? K.**

 **Hope you all are doing well and enjoying your life! It doesn't slow down, does it?**

 **Cozy**


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